Pakistan’s Minister of Interior reported that a suicide bomber exploded his device near a police vehicle outside the gate of a district court in Islamabad, the nation’s capital, resulting in the death of 12 individuals and injuring 27 others on Tuesday. The Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, mentioned that the attacker attempted to breach the court premises but redirected his attack towards a police vehicle instead.
The detonation, which was confirmed by police investigators to be caused by a suicide bomber, created a loud blast heard from several kilometers away during a time when the court area usually teems with numerous visitors.
A faction separated from the Pakistani Taliban, known as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility for the assault through messages conveyed by the group’s leader, Omar Mukaram Khurasani. However, conflicting messages emerged as an influential commander within the group, Sarbakaf Mohmand, disowned any association with the attack.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, known for previous smaller attacks, making a hit on the Pakistani capital would further exacerbate the challenges faced by the government amid a resurging Pakistani Taliban, border tensions, and a delicate ceasefire with neighboring Afghanistan.
Initial reports from Pakistani state-controlled media and security officials suggested a car bomb caused the explosion. Minister Naqvi alleged, without substantiation, that the attack was orchestrated by elements supported by India and proxies linked to the Afghan Taliban associated with the Pakistani Taliban. He assured that authorities are comprehensively investigating all aspects of the incident.
In response to the baseless accusations from Pakistan, Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, dismissed the claims as unfounded. The attack received condemnation from various countries, including the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Nations.
The scene outside the courthouse was chaotic, with police promptly sealing off the area as smoke billowed into the air. Most casualties were bystanders or individuals who had appointments at the court, according to Islamabad police. The discovery of a severed head nearby, believed to belong to the attacker, confirmed the suicide nature of the attack.
In a separate incident earlier that day, Pakistani security forces thwarted an endeavor by militants to seize cadets at an army-run college overnight. A suicide car bomber and five other members of the Pakistani Taliban targeted the facility in a northwestern province. The operation, which started on Monday evening, resulted in casualties among militants and ongoing confrontations with security forces.
The TTP denied involvement in the college attack, highlighting the group’s increased activities following the Taliban’s assumption of power in Kabul in 2021, with many of its members alleged to have sought refuge in Afghanistan. Pakistan has observed a surge in militant assaults in recent years, with the deadliest attack occurring in 2014 when Taliban gunmen targeted an army school in Peshawar, resulting in numerous casualties, mostly children.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated recently, with Kabul attributing drone strikes to Islamabad, leading to cross-border clashes and casualties before a ceasefire was brokered by Qatar. Peace talks between the two nations have faced challenges, with recent rounds in Istanbul concluding without an agreement due to Kabul’s reluctance to provide written assurances regarding the use of Afghan territory by militant groups against Pakistan. An earlier ceasefire between Pakistan and the TTP collapsed after the group accused Islamabad of violating the truce.