At least 12 killed, 36 injured in Islamabad blast

At least 12 were killed and 36 others were injured on Tuesday in a suicide blast outside the district and sessions court building in Islamabad’s G-11 area, Aaj News reported.

As per the report, the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.

The site was cordoned off as authorities started an investigation.

“We are probing what kind of blast it was. It is not clear yet. We will be able to provide more details after we get a report from our forensic team,” a policeman told Reuters.

Later, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the bomber tried to enter the court building on foot, but detonated the device outside, close to a police vehicle, after waiting there for 10 to 15 minutes.

“We are investigating this incident from different angles. It is not just another bombing. It happened right in Islamabad,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari termed the incident a “suicide blast”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack and prayed for the martyrs.

“The terrorist attacks by Indian proxy groups against Pakistan’s unarmed civilians are condemnable.”

He also ordered an investigation into the incident and vowed that those responsible will be brought to justice.

Moreover, Defence Minister Asif also called the incident a “wake-up call”, saying, “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, today’s suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts is a wake-up call,” he wrote on X.

“In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul,” he added.