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suicide blast next to the district courts in Islamabad last week claimed at least 12 lives. More than three dozen civilians and policemen were injured in the incident.
“A lone suicide bomber, a pedestrian, tried to enter the court premises. On failing to do so, he detonated the explosive he was carrying near a police vehicle outside the main gate,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters. He added that investigations were under way.
A day earlier, an Afghan citizen and his militant accomplices had tried to storm a cadet college in Wana, South Waziristan. The attempt was thwarted by the security forces. The vehicle carrying one of the attackers blew up at the college gate, killing at least three security personnel. His accomplices entered the building and tried to take students hostage. More than 500 cadets were, in the end safely, evacuated. It took the security forces several hours to clear the compound of the attackers.
The Inter Services Public Relations said the initial attempt by the terrorists to breach the perimeter security was foiled by the “vigilant and resolute response by the troops.” However, the attackers then rammed an explosives-laden vehicle against the main gate of the college, causing it to collapse and damaging an adjacent structure. The terrorists then entered the educational facility. They were “cornered in the college’s administrative block.”
“Displaying unwavering courage and professional excellence, the troops engaged the intruders and eliminated two khwarij belonging to an Indian proxy.”
Fitnat-al Khawarij is a description the ISPR uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. The ISPR added that during the deadly attack, the terrorists were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan and “getting instructions.”
“This blatant act of barbarism orchestrated by the Khwarij from Afghanistan belies claims of the Afghan Taliban regime that these terrorist groups are not on the Afghan soil.” The spokesman said that Pakistan reserved the right to respond against the terrorists and their leadership sheltering in Afghanistan. “These khwarij were trying to repeat the barbaric terrorism carried out by them in Army Public School, Peshawar, in 2014,” said the ISPR.
The attacks have set off alarm bells in Islamabad. Some senior ministers indicated that they viewed the incidents as a possible “message from Kabul” following recent cross-border strikes by the TTP from Afghan territory. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif publicly accused India of backing the TTP and other proxies “to spread terrorism and anarchy in Pakistan using Afghan soil.”
“Kabul has sent us a clear message,” Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told the media. “We will respond.” He said the country was in a state of war. The armed forces, he said, were already fighting the TTP and its allied militant groups.
Investigation revealed that the suicide bomber, who struck in Islamabad on November 11, was also an Afghan citizen who had arrived in the capital from Bajaur a few days earlier. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi hinted that the Kabul regime could be linked to the attack.
Investigation revealed that the suicide bomber, who struck on November 11, was an Afghan citizen who had arrived in the capital from Bajaur a few days earlier. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi hinted that elements in the Kabul regime could be linked to the attack.
Ahrar, a splinter group of the TTP, claimed responsibility via social media. However, the main TTP denied involvement. Ahrar, has opposed reconciliation with Pakistan.
Across the eastern border
A day before the Islamabad blast, a car explosion near the Metro Bus Station near the Red Fort in New Delhi had killed at least 13 people and injured several others. The Indian government called it “an act of terrorism.” According to Indian media, investigators suspect separatists’ hand in the attack.
Coming soon after Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks held in Istanbul broke down, the attacks in New Delhi and Islamabad have heightened regional unease. The Doha- and Istanbul-facilitated negotiations had stalled after several rounds when Kabul refused to provide written assurance that it would prevent the TTP militants from crossing into Pakistan. Islamabad interpreted this refusal as tacit support for the TTP, whose cross-border attacks have killed dozens of Pakistani soldiers and civilians in recent months.
“Pakistan has every right to defend its people and territory. We will do whatever is necessary,” Defence Minister Asif reiterated.
Tensions had already been rising following Afghan Foreign Minister Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi’s week-long visit to New Delhi that raised eyebrows in Islamabad. The visit coincided with border skirmishes and increased attacks by militants along the Pakistan-Afghan frontier. “India is apparently planning revenge against Pakistan after losing the war in May — now they are using Afghan soil,” Asif has repeatedly said.
The Foreign Office also issued a detailed statement criticising the Taliban government’s inaction. “Since the Taliban regime took power, there has been a sharp surge in terrorist attacks emanating from Afghan soil,” the statement said. “Pakistan has exercised great restraint despite suffering military and civilian losses.”
It added that Pakistan had expected the Afghan Taliban to curb cross-border militancy but they had “shied away from taking concrete and verifiable actions.” The statement concluded: “Pakistan’s Armed Forces and its people are determined to eliminate terrorism and take action against its supporters, abettors and financiers.”
Fallout
Cross-border trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been suspended since October 11. Pakistan has also carried out limited strikes on TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan, calling them “defensive actions.”
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has since urged Afghan traders to explore alternative trade routes. “I urge all traders to find alternative routes for imports and exports so that our trade is not disrupted,” he told a gathering in Kabul.
The Islamabad blast also created security concerns for international cricket. Some members of the Sri Lankan national cricket team, playing a one-day series in Rawalpindi, initially considered abandoning the tour. However, on receiving security assurances from Pakistani authorities, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board agreed to continue the tour. The Pakistan Cricket Board has rescheduled the matches, including those with Zimbabwe as part of a tri-nation series.
This incident has revived painful memories of the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore that halted international cricket in Pakistan for many years.
The authorities believe that the recent attacks have been aimed at destabilizing the country and project insecurity. “The armed forces remain committed to ensuring peace and defending our borders,” Interior Minister Naqvi said.
Security analyst Muhammad Amir Rana warned that if Indian authorities link the New Delhi attack to a Kashmiri group based in Pakistan, “the conflict could escalate dangerously.” He added, “The Kabul government’s move to curtail trade with Pakistan is another sign of worsening ties. For the moment, the situation is uncertain. While clouds of conflict are hovering over the region, there is still hope that sanity will prevail.”
The author is a staff reporter. He can be reached at vaqargillanigmail.com.