New Delhi: After Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alleged Indian backing for a terror attack in Islamabad on Tuesday (November 11) in which at least 12 people were killed, New Delhi accused Pakistan's “obviously delirious” leadership of making the “baseless and unfounded” claim in order to deflect from the “constitutional subversion” taking place at home.

At least 12 people were killed and 27 others were injured following a blast outside a district court building in the Pakistani capital city on Tuesday, Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters.

Sharif in a statement suggested that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was behind the attack – although the militant outfit has reportedly denied responsibility – and said that in addition to a separate attack on an educational institute in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, the Islamabad incident was among “the worst examples of Indian state terrorism in the region”.

India's Ministry of External Affairs strongly denied any involvement. “India unequivocally rejects the baseless and unfounded allegations being made by an obviously delirious Pakistani leadership,” spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement on Tuesday night.

Referring to a controversial constitutional amendment passed by Pakistan's senate on Monday that proposes greater power and legal immunity for army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir as well as changes to its top judiciary, Jaiswal accused the Pakistani leadership of trying to deflect attention from the ‘ongoing constitutional subversion’ at home.

“It is a predictable tactic by Pakistan to concoct false narratives against India in order to deflect the attention of its own public from the ongoing military-inspired constitutional subversion and power-grab unfolding within the country. The international community is well aware of the reality and will not be misled by Pakistan’s desperate diversionary ploys,” he said.

According to officials cited by state-run media, the explosion occurred in a car at the entrance of the sprawling district judicial complex in the city.

The incident has occurred a day after a similar car explosion near the Red Fort in Delhi, which killed at least 13 people.

Naqvi told reporters that the blast was a suicide attack and that police were currently investigating.

What we know so far

“At 12:39 pm, there was a suicide attack on the court,” Naqvi said, adding that at least 12 people were killed and around 27 others were injured.

The attacker had planned to enter the court premises but ended up targeting a police car that had arrived at the scene after failing to get inside, he added, citing observations made from CCTV footage.

“We are investigating this incident from different angles,” the minister had said.

Paramilitary troops cordoned off the area following the blast. The area is normally crowded with people attending court proceedings.

According to witnesses quoted by AFP, the blast appeared to have taken place near a gate of the court complex. "As I parked my car and entered the complex... I heard a loud bang," lawyer Rustam Malik told the French agency.

"It was complete chaos, lawyers and people were running inside the complex. I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate and several cars were on fire," Malik said.

Sharif blames India

In his statement on X, Sharif had blamed the attack on the “India-sponsored” ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’ and ‘Fitna al-Hindustan’, which per local media are terms used by Islamabad to refer to the TTP and to Baloch militants respectively.

The relationship between the two nuclear neighbours, that has seen ups and down over the years, soured earlier this year following the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which triggered India to launch 'Operation Sindoor' and led to a four-day-long military confrontation subsequently.

India and Pakistan had imposed a number of restrictions on each other after that.

Although Sharif blamed the TTP for the incident, the Associated Press has reported that a spokesperson for the group denied responsibility. A splinter group of the TTP called the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had claimed responsibility but a commander from the outfit later sent WhatsApp messages denying that they had issued the claim, according to the news agency.

Pakistan's security situation

Pakistan has been battling with a number of insurgencies by extremist and militant groups, among them the TTP, the local affiliate of the so-called Islamic State, known as ISKP, and Baloch separatists.

Officials, as per AFP, attribute the resurgence of attacks to armed groups allegedly sheltered on Afghan soil.

On Monday evening, Pakistan's security forces reportedly said they had quashed an attempt by militants to take cadets hostage at a military-run college in Wana, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border.

Authorities said that a suicide car bomber and five others had targeted the facility situated in the northwestern province.

Three people were killed in that attack, Naqvi said on Tuesday, adding that Afghanistan was “directly involved” in the incident.

While Sharif alleged that “Fitna al-Khawarij” conducted the attack “under Indian instigation”, the TTP according to the Associated Press denied responsibility for Monday's incident as well.

This article was updated with the Ministry of External Affairs's reaction as well as new information about the TTP's reported denial of responsibility.

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