ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A suicide bomber detonated explosives outside a district court in Islamabad on Tuesday, killing 12 people and injuring at least 27, Pakistani authorities said. The attack, which occurred near a police vehicle, represents the latest surge in militant violence in Pakistan.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the midday blast, though Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi alleged involvement of “Indian-backed elements and Afghan Taliban proxies” connected to the Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP). The TTP later denied any role in the attack.

Chaos Outside the Court

The explosion, heard miles away, took place during a busy period when the court typically hosts hundreds of visitors. Witnesses described panic as people ran in all directions amid smoke and debris. Most casualties were passersby and court attendees.

Naqvi confirmed the attack was a suicide bombing, citing the discovery of the attacker’s severed head near the scene. CCTV footage also captured the individual attempting to enter the court before targeting a police car.

Overnight Assault on Army-Run College

The Islamabad blast came a day after Pakistani security forces foiled an assault on an army-run cadet college in Wana, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border. A suicide car bomber and five attackers attempted to take cadets hostage. Pakistani forces killed two militants while three others were cornered in an administrative block. No cadets or staff were harmed.

Authorities described the assault as reminiscent of the 2014 Peshawar school attack, in which a TTP faction killed 154 people, mostly children.

Government Response

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned both attacks and called for a full investigation. “We will ensure the perpetrators are apprehended and held accountable,” Sharif said, describing attacks on civilians as “reprehensible.”

Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif stated that Pakistan is in a “state of war” and blamed the Afghan Taliban for harboring the TTP. Pakistan has outlawed the TTP, which is also designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and U.N.

Escalating Tensions Between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Recent months have seen rising cross-border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, fueled by drone strikes and militant activity. A ceasefire brokered by Qatar on Oct. 19 remains fragile. Two rounds of peace talks in Istanbul failed after Kabul declined to provide written assurances that Afghan territory would not be used by militants against Pakistan.

The attacks underscore Pakistan’s ongoing struggle with militant insurgency, border security, and regional instability.