A suicide blast outside a district courthouse in Islamabad on Tuesday has left 12 people dead and at least 27 others injured, according to Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The explosion, which occurred at approximately 12:39 p.m. local time (07:39 GMT), marks one of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan’s capital in recent years.
Naqvi confirmed that the attacker had been planning to target the courthouse but was unable to get inside. Instead, the bomber detonated the explosives near a police vehicle after waiting in the area for nearly 15 minutes. Footage from the scene showed plumes of smoke rising from a charred vehicle and emergency teams rushing to assist the wounded.
Authorities have cordoned off the area as investigations continue. Naqvi stated that identifying the bomber is a top priority and vowed that all those involved would be brought to justice. “We will not rest until those responsible for this heinous act are held accountable,” he said.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of terror.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif went further, alleging that extremist groups “actively backed by India” were behind the bombing. “Terrorist attacks on unarmed citizens of Pakistan by India’s terrorist proxies are condemnable,” Sharif said in a statement. New Delhi has not yet responded to the accusations but has previously rejected similar claims.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos following the explosion. Lawyer Rustam Malik, who was parking his car nearby, told AFP, “I heard a loud bang. Lawyers and people were running inside the complex. I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate and several cars on fire.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The last suicide bombing in Islamabad occurred three years ago, killing one police officer. While other regions of Pakistan have seen sporadic attacks, such incidents in the capital remain relatively rare.
