Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday blamed India for a deadly suicide bombing in the capital, even though the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 12 people. Sharif condemned the bombing and alleged that it was carried out by what he described as “Indian-sponsored terrorist proxies.”
The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) said that their 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. TTP has threatened of more attacks until Islamic law is implemented in the country.
“These attacks are a continuation of India’s state-sponsored terrorism aimed at destabilizing Pakistan,” he said, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
New Delhi has previously rejected similar accusations made by Islamabad.
Islamabad Bombing Originated From Afghanistan, Claims Pakistan
Sharif also drew a connection between Tuesday’s attack and another incident a day earlier near a Cadet College in Wana, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the Afghan border. Three people were killed in that attack, which security officials said was also carried out by the banned TTP.
Speaking at the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference in Islamabad, he said, “Afghanistan must understand that lasting peace can only be realised by reining in TTP and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.”
In a post shared from the Government of Pakistan’s official X account, Sharif went further, claiming that the Islamabad bombing originated from Afghanistan “with India’s backing.”
Pakistan Accuses Kabul; Afghan Taliban Deny Links
Islamabad has long accused Kabul of providing safe haven to armed groups, especially the TTP, which frequently carries out attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, however, deny offering sanctuary to the group.
“No condemnation is enough for these attacks being carried out from Afghan soil under Indian patronage,” Sharif said, as quoted by APP.
The suicide attack occurred at Islamabad’s G-11 judicial complex. Sharif said such incidents “cannot shake Pakistan’s resolve to root out terrorism completely.”
Defence Minister Calls Attack a “Wake-Up Call”
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, commenting on the Islamabad attack, said it should serve as a warning for the country. “This environment makes it futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul,” he wrote on X.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
