A suicide attack outside a court in Pakistan's capital Islamabad has killed 12 people and injured at least 27 others, the country's interior minister said.
Mohsin Naqvi stated that the bomber's target was the district courthouse; however, the attacker was unable to breach the premises.
Authorities are prioritizing the identification of the bomber, with assurances from Naqvi that those involved will face justice.
In a move that escalates tensions, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alleged that extremist groups 'actively backed by India' were responsible for the attack.
An official spokesperson from the Indian government has dismissed these allegations as 'baseless and unfounded.'
Moreover, Sharif condemned the attack, describing it as one perpetrated by 'India's terrorist proxies' against unarmed Pakistani citizens.
The attack has reportedly been claimed by Jumaat Ul Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), although there are conflicting statements from TTP's central leadership denying any connection to the bombing.
Reports of the incident indicated that suicide blasts in Islamabad have been rare in recent years. Eyewitnesses described the chaotic aftermath, with a lawyer recounting a loud explosion that sent people into a panic, with two bodies visible near the court's entry.
The bombing occurred just before 1 PM local time, with medical treatment provided to those injured in the stylized attack.
In a related but separate incident, a car explosion in India's capital, Delhi, has led to similar casualties, although the Indian government has not officially labeled it a terror attack yet.
Since the last notable suicide bombing in Islamabad three years ago, this recent incident raises alarms about the resurgence of violence in the capital's historically quieter environment.
