TTP claims Islamabad blast responsibility, minister finds Pakistan in ‘state of war’
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that the country is now in a “state of war” following a deadly suicide blast that killed at least 12 people in the capital, Islamabad.
The explosion, which occurred outside the district court buildings around 12:30pm on Tuesday, was described by officials as a suicide attack. The area, usually crowded with lawyers and litigants attending hearings, was left strewn with debris and wreckage.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that 12 people were killed and 27 others injured in the blast. He said the bomber had attempted to enter the court premises but, failing to do so, “targeted a police vehicle” outside the gate.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement reported by AFP, the group said: “Our fighter attacked the judicial commission in Islamabad. Judges, lawyers, and officials who delivered rulings under Pakistan’s un-Islamic laws were targeted.”
The group warned of further attacks “until Islamic Sharia law is implemented” in the country.
The blast comes amid a surge in militant violence across Pakistan, marking the country’s worst security crisis in more than a decade. The TTP has carried out over 600 attacks this year, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the Afghan border, killing hundreds.
Islamabad has accused the Afghan Taliban of providing safe havens and support to TTP militants — an allegation Kabul denies. The tensions recently erupted into deadly cross-border clashes, leaving dozens dead. Fragile ceasefire talks between the two nations have so far failed to produce results.
Pakistan is also grappling with a renewed Baloch separatist insurgency in the resource-rich province of Balochistan, where militants have staged a series of deadly and increasingly sophisticated attacks, including the hijacking of a passenger train earlier this year.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Tuesday’s suicide bombing underscored the scale of Pakistan’s ongoing security challenges.
“We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that this war is confined to the Afghan border or the remote areas of Balochistan is mistaken. Today’s suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts is a wake-up call,” he said.
Asif also questioned the viability of continued peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, saying, “In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul.”
Source: Guardian, AFP