Deadly suicide explosion near an Islamabad court kills 12 people and injures 27 as extremist tensions rise

Twelve people are killed and 27 are hurt in a suicide bombing outside of the Islamabad courthouse. An extremist group claims credit, and political tensions are high.

There was a terrible suicide bombing outside of a district judge in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, on Tuesday. At least 27 people were hurt and 12 people died. The attack, which caused a lot of fear and chaos, is one of the few suicide attacks in the city in the last few years.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, said that the attacker tried to get into the building but failed. After waiting for about 15 minutes, the bomber set off an explosives-filled car near a police car. Video from the scene showed a burned-out car, smoke rising behind a security fence, and an area that was blocked off while first responders ran to help the victims.

Witnesses said that things were very chaotic outside the building. Lawyer Rustam Malik, who was parked his car at the time, said, “It was a mess.” Lawyers and other people were running around inside the building. I saw two dead bodies on the gate and a bunch of cars on fire.

The 27 people who were hurt are getting medical care, and officials are working to stabilize their conditions and give them emergency care.

Local sources say that Jumaat Ul Ahrar, a breakaway group of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), claimed responsibility for the bombing. Two local reporters said, though, that the TTP’s central authority has denied having anything to do with the attack. In Islamabad, suicide bombings have been very rare lately. The last big incident happened three years ago and killed a police officer and hurt several others.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif damned the attack and said it was carried out by extremist groups that were “actively backed by India.” He also said that the attack on unarmed Pakistani citizens was “condemnable.” The Indian government refuted these claims, saying they were “baseless and unfounded.” In a statement, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari also strongly condemned the blast.

Tensions are high in the area right now because of this event. In a different but related event that happened at the same time, eight people were killed in a car explosion in Kolkata on Sunday. The Indian government has not yet publicly called it a terrorist attack, but the case has been sent to the country’s anti-terrorism agency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that everyone who was guilty would be brought to justice. He made it clear that those who planned such “heinous acts will not be spared.”

After the bombing in Islamabad, Pakistani officials have made key government buildings and courts safer. Interior Minister Naqvi said that the most important thing would be to find the bomber and break up any radical networks that were linked to them. Police are also looking over security procedures to stop future attacks in the capital, where suicide bombings have been less common in the past than in other parts of Pakistan.

A lot of people are worried about their safety and the rise of radical violence in Pakistan since the attack. Analysts say that attacking courts, which are a symbol of the justice system, could mean that militant groups are trying to weaken state power and make people, including lawyers, afraid.