Just a day after Delhi's blast, explosion near Islamabad court kills 12, injures 20

At least 12 people were killed and over 20 were injured in a powerful explosion near the Islamabad judicial complex on Tuesday, Pakistani media reports confirmed. The blast took place just a day after a deadly blast near the Red Fort in the Indian capital Delhi, which killed 12. The blast, suspected to have been caused by a gas cylinder inside a parked car, occurred around 12:30 pm during peak business hours, shaking the district court area.

The explosion was so intense that it could be heard up to six kilometres away, triggering panic among lawyers and court staff present at the time. Several vehicles parked nearby were damaged by the blast. Most of the casualties were lawyers and court staff, with authorities suspecting the attack to be a suicide bombing.

Hours before this incident, Pakistani security forces had foiled a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attack at Cadet College Wana in south Waziristan, killing two terrorists. The TTP’s activities have been a growing concern since the Taliban's return to power in Kabul, straining relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which Islamabad accuses of harbouring TTP leadership.

The Islamabad blast comes just a day after a deadly car explosion near Delhi's Red Fort, which killed 10 people and raised fresh security concerns. The same day, police in India dismantled a Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind terror module, seizing 2,900 kilograms of IED-making material.