Terror strikes at the heart of Pakistan | The Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD:

A suicide bomber detonated explosives outside the G-11 District Judicial Complex in Islamabad on Tuesday afternoon, martyring at least 12 people, including lawyers and police personnel, and injuring dozens more in a rare attack on the capital city.

The powerful explosion, which occurred at approximately 12:39pm, shook the vicinity and left a scene of chaos, with shattered glass, charred vehicles, and bodies lying on the road outside the court buildings.

Initial investigations suggest the attacker’s primary target was to enter the courthouse and cause maximum casualties, but alert police personnel thwarted the attempt. Failing to gain entry to the judicial complex, the bomber detonated the explosives near a police vehicle.

Police sources confirmed that the bomber’s head was found at the site, and forensic teams were immediately summoned. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the details, stating that the attacker had intended to enter the court but, failing to do so, targeted a police vehicle instead.

According to the spokesperson for the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Dr Mubashir Daha, an emergency was declared at the hospital following the attack. “Medical teams are providing urgent treatment,” he said.

“The hospital received 36 injured individuals; 18 were discharged after first aid, while the condition of four remains critical. The PIMS executive director is personally supervising emergency operations,” he added.

Among the martyred, 10 bodies have been identified, including Advocate Zubair Ghumman and Head Constable Muhammad Imran. The remaining eight victims were civilians, according to officials.

The injured included three police officers —Head Constable Muhammad Imran, Constable Imran Javed of Kohsar Police Station, ASI Irshad of Ramna Police Station —and Balochistan Police constable Muhammad Ramzan, along with two lawyers, Mazhar and Haider Khan.

Sources said CCTV footage of the incident, showing the suicide bomber approaching the court area, has been obtained. Law enforcement personnel cordoned off the area immediately to collect evidence.

Interior Minister Naqvi said identifying the bomber and the network behind the incident remains the government’s top priority. He added that evidence suggests possible connections to Afghanistan.

“The perpetrators of this attack will be exposed,” he said, warning that any foreign element found involved “will not be forgiven.”

President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the suicide attack and expressed condolences and sympathies with the bereaved families.

In a statement issued by the President Secretariat Press Wing, the president prayed for the early recovery of the injured.

He said that terrorists were the enemies of Pakistan’s peace and stability, stressing that the elimination of foreign-backed proxy terrorists was necessary. He paid tribute to sacrifices of the law enforcement agencies.

Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the occurrence as a heinous act of terror orchestrated by Indian-backed proxies operating from Afghan soil.

He expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives and prayed for the elevation of ranks of the martyrs and patience for their families. “My heartfelt sympathies, as well as those of the entire nation, are with the families of the martyrs,” Shehbaz said in a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The premier prayed for the swift recovery of the injured and directed the authorities concerned to ensure the best possible medical treatment for them.

Condemning the “Indian-sponsored terrorist proxies,” the prime minister said that targeting innocent Pakistani citizens through cross-border terrorism was an abhorrent and cowardly act. “These attacks are a continuation of India’s state-sponsored terrorism aimed at destabilizing Pakistan,” he added.

The prime minister revealed that while Indian-backed militants struck in Islamabad, the same network operating from Afghan territory had also attacked innocent children in Wana. “No condemnation is enough for these attacks being carried out from Afghan soil under Indian patronage,” he said.

Shehbaz reiterated that the blood of innocent Pakistanis would not go in vain. “We will continue our war against terrorism until the last terrorist of the so-called ‘Fitna-e-Hindustan’ and ‘Fitna-e-Khawarij’ is eliminated,” he vowed.

The premier directed the concerned institutions to conduct a thorough investigation into the incidents and ensure that the perpetrators and their facilitators are brought to justice.

He stressed that such cowardly acts could not shake Pakistan’s resolve to root out terrorism completely. “India must immediately cease its vile policy of sponsoring terrorism in the region. The time has come for the international community to take notice and condemn these nefarious designs,” he said.

Shehbaz said that the recent attacks had once again exposed ugly face of Indian state terrorism and its role in undermining regional peace and stability. “Both attacks are the worst examples of India’s state-sponsored terrorism in the region.”

(WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)