Umair Jamal
A suicide bomber strapped with explosives blew himself up outside the District Judicial Complex in Islamabad on Tuesday afternoon, killing 12 people and wounding at least 36, including police officers. This was the first such attack in the Pakistani capital in over three years and points to a sharp escalation in militancy in the country in recent weeks.
Police confirmed that the militant outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. Investigators in Pakistan are examining how the bomber bypassed multiple checkpoints to reach the heavily guarded judicial area in the capital.
The blast occurred at a time when Islamabad is hosting many international events, including a Pakistan-Sri Lanka cricket match in nearby Rawalpindi. For many Pakistanis, the incident revived painful memories of the 2009 militant assault in Lahore that targeted the Sri Lankan cricket team and local players.
The suicide bombing in Islamabad bombing follows another major TTP attack on the Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Tuesday, when TTP-affiliated militants stormed the military-run school. Around 650 people, including 525 cadets, were present at the time of the attack. Security forces reportedly killed all the attackers. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the operation succeeded without cadet casualties.
The attack in Wana has revived memories of the 2014 Army Public School (APS) massacre in Peshawar, where TTP militants killed over 130 children. The military’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) condemned the militants for attempting to repeat the “barbaric” APS attack.
Pakistani officials have accused Afghanistan of direct involvement in the Wana attack. Naqvi stated that the Wana attackers were Afghan nationals who maintained contact with handlers across the border throughout the night. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif pointed out that such terrorist operations require external support and sanctuaries.
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