Describing the suicide blast outside a court in Islamabad as a 'wake up' call for his nation, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that his country is in a 'state of war'. He also took a dig at Afghanistan and said it would be "futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations" with the Taliban in this environment.
In a post on X (which was formerly called Twitter), Asif said the "rulers in Kabul" should stop terrorism in Pakistan, but pointed out that bringing this war to Islamabad "is a message from Kabul, to which–praise be to God–Pakistan has the full strength to respond".
"We are in a state of war," Asif posted on X. "Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan should take today's suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts as a wake-up call: this is a war for all of Pakistan, in which the Pakistan Army is giving daily sacrifices and making the people feel secure."
Asif's remark comes hours after a deadly blast outside a court in Islamabad that claimed 12 lives and injured more than 30 others. According to the country's officials, the attacker wanted to enter the court, but had failed after which he detonated the explosives near a police vehicle. No group or any individual has claimed the responsibility of the attack.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has blamed India for the attack. "These attacks are a continuation of India's state-sponsored terrorism aimed at destabilising Pakistan," he said.
However, India has rejected allegations, called it baseless and said it is a part of Pakistan's strategy to 'concoct false narratives' against New Delhi.
Pakistan has been dealing with a surge in terror attacks. On Monday, six people were injured after a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the main gate of a Cadet College in the South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan.
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