Deadly Blast Rocks Islamabad Court Complex kills 12, injures over 20

Islamabad, Pakistan — A powerful explosion tore through the entrance of the Islamabad judicial complex on Tuesday around 12:30 pm, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 20, according to Pakistani media reports. The blast occurred during peak business hours and sent shockwaves across the capital.

Preliminary investigations suggest the explosion was triggered by a gas cylinder fitted inside a parked car. However, police suspect it may have been a suicide attack, given the intensity and timing. Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos, with burning vehicles and bodies strewn near the court gate.

Most of the injured were lawyers and court staff. The blast was reportedly heard up to six kilometers away, damaging several vehicles and triggering panic across the complex.

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack and extended condolences to the victims’ families.

The incident came just hours after Pakistani forces foiled a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) assault on Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan. Two militants were killed in the operation, though the TTP denied involvement.

This attack also follows a deadly car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort the previous day, which killed 10 and injured 20. Authorities are probing possible links between the two incidents, especially after a terror module involving Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind was busted in India.