'We are in a state of war': Pakistan minister sounds alarm after suicide bombing kills 12; blames Kabul

Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said the country was “in a state of war” after a suicide bomber struck outside the Islamabad district courts on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 27.

The blast one of the deadliest to hit the capital in recent years has intensified tensions with Afghanistan, with Asif accusing the Taliban government in Kabul of allowing militants to operate freely.

Asif warns of national threat, blames Kabul

In a post on X, Asif said: “Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan should take today’s suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts as a wake-up call: This is a war for all of Pakistan.”

He wrote that Pakistan’s military was making “daily sacrifices while providing citizens with a sense of protection and security”, but warned that hoping for negotiations with Kabul would be a “mistake”. Asif insisted that Afghanistan “has the ability to prevent terrorist attacks inside Pakistan” and that bringing the conflict to the capital was “a message from Kabul”.

He added that Pakistan “has the strength to respond fully”, saying the attack had erased any remaining doubts about the threat posed by militants operating from Afghan soil.

Attack outside court complex

The explosion took place around midday in Islamabad’s G-11 district, just outside the judicial complex where hundreds of lawyers and visitors were present. Police said the attacker tried to enter the court premises but failed, eventually detonating explosives next to a police vehicle, igniting cars and sending a fireball through the street.

Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that 12 people were killed and 27 wounded. He said authorities had recovered a severed head believed to be that of the attacker, and CCTV footage captured him moments before the blast. Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with people screaming for help as ambulances rushed to the site.

Surge in militant violence and worsening ties with Afghanistan

The blast comes amid a sharp rise in militant violence across Pakistan. Security officials say the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has carried out hundreds of attacks this year, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near the Afghan border, but strikes in major cities have been rare. Islamabad was last hit by a suicide attack three years ago.

On Monday night, militants also attempted to storm an army-run college in Wana, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Security forces killed two attackers quickly, while others were cornered inside an administrative building. Students and staff were evacuated, and the military said the assault resembled the TTP’s 2014 massacre in Peshawar that killed 154 people.

Pakistan says the Afghan Taliban have allowed TTP fighters to take refuge across the border. Afghanistan denies harbouring the group. Peace talks between Islamabad and Kabul have stalled, with Pakistan demanding written guarantees that Afghan territory will not be used for attacks.