Pakistan opens investigation into Islamabad terror attack | Pakistan
Pakistan has launched an investigation into the suicide attack that killed 12 people in front of the district courthouse in Islamabad after the Prime Minister made baseless claims that “Indian state terrorism” was behind the blast.
The attack took place in the middle of the day on Tuesday, as the area was teeming with people. The bomber made several attempts to enter buildings, killing 12 people and injuring 27, before detonating the bomb next to the police car.
He highlighted the security challenges facing Pakistan as it grapples with the rise in terrorist activities.
The attack was first claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The group said in a statement that it targeted “non-Islamic judges and lawyers”, but TTP’s spokesman later denied that the group was behind the attack.
Some Pakistani ministers also attributed the suicide attack to TTP, the Islamist group behind hundreds of militant attacks in Pakistan this year, mostly targeting police and security services in the Khyber Pawktunkhwa border region.
Tuesday’s attack was the first major explosion in recent years to target Islamabad, a city widely regarded as free from militant activity.
The attack could also have broader regional effects. On Tuesday night, Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement claiming that the attack was carried out by Afghan-based militants “on India’s orders”, calling it a “vile conspiracy” but providing no evidence for the claim.
In response to Sharif’s claim, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal denied the claim. “India categorically denies the false and baseless allegations,” he said.
Relations between India and Pakistan hit a historic low after India accused Pakistan of masterminding a terrorist attack that killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir in April. Pakistan denied the accusation. The two nuclear-armed countries came close to all-out war after exchanging missiles and drones in cross-border attacks in May.
India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of continuing to harbor terrorist groups. In response, Pakistan claimed that “India-backed elements” were behind destabilizing militant attacks in the country, especially by the TTP and separatist Baloch militant groups in Balochistan.
Pakistan also accused Afghanistan of providing a safe haven and training to TTP fighters, and violent clashes broke out between the two countries last month. The Afghan Taliban refused to provide any support to the TTP and refused to take any measures to prevent its activities in Afghanistan.
The explosion in Islamabad occurred the day after the explosion in Delhi, the capital of India, which killed eight people. The reasons remain unclear but India’s anti-terrorism agency is leading the investigation and a case has been filed under the anti-terrorism law.
In his speech, foreign minister and deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar called terrorism “one of the greatest global challenges of our time.”
“Let me be very clear: These cowardly acts will never shake or weaken our national resolve to deal with this threat,” he said.
