ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, stated that the recent deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad serves as a “message from Kabul,” raising concerns about the effectiveness of ongoing negotiations with the Taliban. He called the incident a wake-up call for the entire nation.
Asif emphasized this point on the platform X, asserting that the conflict is no longer limited to border areas. “The suicide attack in Islamabad must be seen as a wake-up call. This is a war that impacts all of Pakistan,” he declared.
The explosion occurred outside a district court in Islamabad’s G-11 sector, claiming at least 14 lives and injuring 28 others. The attack followed another tragic car bombing near the Red Fort in New Delhi, India, which killed at least 12 people the previous day.
Expressing skepticism about peace talks with the Taliban, Asif stated that optimism regarding such negotiations might have been unrealistic. He criticized the Taliban’s inaction in preventing terrorist attacks within Pakistan, despite their supposed capacity to do so.
“The fact that violence has now reached Islamabad sends a clear message from Kabul—a message Pakistan is fully prepared to respond to,” he remarked.
Pakistan has frequently accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering fighters from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group involved in a long-standing insurgency against the Pakistani state. While the TTP shares ideological ties with the Afghan Taliban, it operates independently.
The Islamabad bombing adds to a series of violent incidents that have plagued Pakistan, many of which have targeted security forces and government entities. Officials warn that such attacks may escalate further if regional collaboration on counterterrorism efforts remains ineffective.
