Islamabad leadership blames neighbours India and Afghanistan for blast claimed by Pakistani Taliban

On Tuesday (Nov 11), Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, witnessed a deadly suicide bombing outside district court buildings, which claimed 12 lives. Terror outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Pakistani leadership is busy blaming the neighbours. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it “India’s state-sponsored terrorism” despite being a harbour for terror outfits to flourish. Months after India's Operation Sindoor, which conducted precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander Masood Ilyas was seen addressing a crowd, where he was heard saying that Masood Azhar family was ‘torn into pieces’ in Bahawalpur.

Joining the bandwagon was Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who said, “We are in a state of war.” He further emphasised how “the rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan.” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, while speaking to reporters, noted the bombing was "carried out by Indian-backed elements and Afghan Taliban proxies".

TTP claims Islamabad suicide bombing: Read statement

The statement by the TTP mentioned that they had targeted judicial officials. It further read as quoted in news agency AFP: "Our fighter attacked the judicial commission in Islamabad. Judges, lawyers and officials who carried out rulings under Pakistan's un-Islamic laws were targeted," the group said in a statement, threatening to carry out more attacks “until Islamic Sharia law is implemented."

Pakistan prime minister said that targeting innocent citizens through cross-border terrorism was an abhorrent and cowardly act. Sharif was quoted by Associated Press of Pakistan, “These attacks are a continuation of India’s state-sponsored terrorism aimed at destabilising Pakistan." Comments like these after letting terror groups foster on its soil is the usual tone taken by the country's leadership. On April 22, in a dastardly attack in India's Pahalgam that claimed 26 innocent lives, Pakistan didn't acknowledge or take action against The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan: Def Min Asif

Asif took to his X account to post, “We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan should take today's suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts as a wake-up call: this is a war for all of Pakistan, in which the Pakistan Army is giving daily sacrifices and making the people feel secure.”

"In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul.
The rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan, but bringing this war all the way to Islamabad is a message from Kabul, to which Pakistan has the full strength to respond," he added.