At least 12 killed in suicide blast outside court in Pak's Islamabad

At least 12 people were killed after a suicide blast occurred outside a district court building in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday, Dawn reported.

 

The cause of the blast, which was heard as far as six kilometers away, was not immediately known. The court premises are usually busy with hundreds of visitors attending hearings. Police said an investigation is underway and declined to confirm local media reports suggesting that a gas cylinder inside a vehicle may have caused the explosion.

 

Pakistan ministers condemn the attack

 

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari termed the incident a “suicide blast” and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families. In a post on X, the Office of the President said, "President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the suicide blast near Islamabad District Judicial Complex, expressed deep condolences with the bereaved families, prayed for early recovery of the injured, and paid tribute to law enforcement agencies."

 

 

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif termed the incident a "wake-up call" and added, "We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan, today’s suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts is a wake-up call,” he said.

 

“In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul,” he added.

 

Eyewitness recounts horror

 

“As I parked my car and entered the complex … I heard a loud bang on the gate,” lawyer Rustam Malik told AFP after the blast, which sent people fleeing and damaged vehicles in the area.

 

He added, "It was complete chaos, lawyers and people were running inside the complex. I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate, and several cars were on fire."

 

12 injured in gas explosion in Supreme Court

 

Earlier on November 4, at least 12 people were injured after a gas explosion occurred at a canteen in the basement of the Supreme Court building, Dawn reported, citing Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IG) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi.

 

Of the 12 injured, the condition of two was "serious", who suffered 80 per cent and 30 per cent burns, respectively.  According to Rizvi, "Initial probe revealed that there had been complaints of gas leakage in the canteen located in the basement and a tea room for around the past three days. Plumbers and technicians who work at the Supreme Court were looking into those."