A suicide bombing outside a district court in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad killed at least 12 people and wounded 27 others on Tuesday, officials said, marking one of the deadliest attacks in the city in years. Hours later, Indian authorities launched an investigation into a separate car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed eight people on Monday evening.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the attack, saying the bomber had attempted to enter the Islamabad district courthouse but detonated the explosive outside after failing to get through security.
“The attacker waited for about 15 minutes near a police vehicle before setting off the bomb,” Naqvi told reporters, adding that the government would prioritize identifying the bomber and ensure “those responsible are brought to justice.”
Footage from the scene showed burnt-out vehicles, shattered windows, and police cordons surrounding the heavily damaged area. Emergency teams transported dozens of wounded people to local hospitals, where Naqvi said all 27 injured victims were receiving treatment.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the “cowardly act of terror” and called for enhanced security measures across the capital.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos following the explosion. Rustam Malik, a lawyer who was parking his car nearby, told AFP that he heard a “loud bang” before smoke engulfed the area. “Lawyers and people were running inside the complex,” Malik said. “I saw two bodies lying near the gate and several cars on fire.”
Suicide bombings in Islamabad have been rare in recent years, following major security operations against militant networks. No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
In neighboring India, authorities are investigating an explosion that tore through a vehicle near Delhi’s historic Red Fort on Monday evening, killing eight people and injuring several others.
Delhi Police Commissioner said the blast occurred at 6:52 p.m. local time (13:22 GMT) when a slow-moving car stopped at a traffic light and exploded. The cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed.
Home Minister Amit Shah convened an emergency security review meeting on Tuesday morning with senior intelligence and police officials. “We are exploring all possibilities,” Shah said, pledging that investigators would determine the cause and “bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, visiting Bhutan for a two-day trip, addressed the crowd and vowed that “those responsible for the Delhi explosion will be held accountable.”
The twin incidents in Islamabad and Delhi have raised renewed concerns about security in South Asia, where both nations have struggled with periodic militant violence. While Indian officials have not linked the two explosions, analysts say both show the region’s continued vulnerability to extremist threats and urban terrorism.
Africa Digital News, New York
