Pakistan launched an urgent investigation Wednesday into the devastating suicide bombing outside an Islamabad district court that killed 12 people and wounded 27 the previous day, exposing persistent vulnerabilities in the capital despite extensive counter-terrorism efforts. Forensic teams meticulously sifted through rubble at the blast site, sealed off near a residential area, while grieving families collected bodies from a local hospital. Funeral prayers commenced for victims as most of the injured were discharged, marking a somber aftermath to the high-profile strike.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi pointed fingers at “Indian-backed elements and Afghan Taliban proxies” linked to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), though he provided no evidence and stressed a comprehensive review of all angles. The TTP denied responsibility, while a breakaway faction, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, initially claimed the attack before a commander retracted the statement, highlighting fractures within militant groups. Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering TTP operatives—a charge Kabul rejects—amid escalating border tensions.

In a separate incident late Monday, four militants assaulted an army-run cadet college in Wana, northwestern Pakistan, using a suicide car bomb to breach the gate before being neutralized by security forces. Over 600 individuals, including 525 cadets, were safely evacuated using ladders and armored vehicles in a dramatic overnight rescue. Authorities described the assault as an attempted repeat of the 2014 Peshawar school massacre, which killed 154, mostly children.

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Tensions with Afghanistan have intensified following Pakistan’s alleged drone strikes in Kabul on October 9, prompting clashes that ended with a Qatar-brokered ceasefire on October 19. Subsequent peace talks in Istanbul stalled over Kabul’s refusal to guarantee prevention of cross-border attacks. The TTP has grown bolder since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, complicating Pakistan’s security landscape.

As international condemnation poured in, India and Afghanistan deepened ties, with New Delhi upgrading its Kabul mission to a full embassy—the first such move since the Taliban’s return to power. This diplomatic warming contrasts sharply with Pakistan’s accusations, underscoring a complex regional dynamic amid the surge in militant violence.

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