Pakistan Taliban Claims Responsibility For Islamabad Blast; Sharif Blames India, Afghanistan

<p>Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday accused India of backing the suicide bombing in Islamabad that killed at least 12 people, even though the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.</p>
<p>Speaking after the explosion, which ripped through the G-11 judicial complex in the federal capital, Sharif condemned the perpetrators, calling them &ldquo;Indian-sponsored terrorist proxies.&rdquo; He alleged that &ldquo;these attacks are a continuation of India&rsquo;s state-sponsored terrorism aimed at destabilising Pakistan,&rdquo; according to a report by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).</p>
<p>India has not yet issued a response to Sharif&rsquo;s comments. New Delhi, however, has previously dismissed such accusations as baseless attempts by Islamabad to deflect from its own internal security failures.</p>
<h2>Sharif links attacks to Afghan-based networks</h2>
<p>Without presenting evidence, Sharif further claimed that the same network operating from Afghan territory was behind another attack on Monday outside a Cadet College in Wana, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Three people were killed in that blast, which officials said was also carried out by the banned TTP.</p>
<p>Addressing the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers&rsquo; Conference in Islamabad, Sharif said, &ldquo;Afghanistan must understand that lasting peace can only be realised by reining in TTP and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.&rdquo;</p>
<p>In a post from the Government of Pakistan&rsquo;s official X account, Sharif asserted that the Islamabad suicide bombing &ldquo;originated in Afghanistan with India&rsquo;s backing.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Islamabad has long accused Kabul of harbouring armed groups, particularly the TTP, which frequently claims deadly attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, however, deny sheltering the group.</p>
<p>&ldquo;No condemnation is enough for these attacks being carried out from Afghan soil under Indian patronage,&rdquo; Sharif said, reiterating his charge against both neighbours.</p>
<h2>Rising terror attacks heighten regional tensions</h2>
<p>The explosion at the G-11 court complex marked the deadliest attack in Islamabad since December 2022. Officials said such acts &ldquo;cannot shake Pakistan&rsquo;s resolve to root out terrorism completely.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The bombing coincided with security operations in Wana, where Pakistani forces were battling militants who had taken over a school. The incident follows a recent surge in cross-border violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan, culminating in their deadliest clashes in years this October.</p>