Pakistan Arrests Militants Following Deadly islamabad Court Bombing, Accuses Afghanistan of Harboring Terrorists
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Pakistan announced Friday the arrest of four individuals allegedly involved in the recent suicide bombing outside a district court in Islamabad, a significant growth in the investigation following the attack that claimed 12 lives and injured 28 others. The arrests come amid escalating tensions with Afghanistan, with Pakistan accusing Kabul of harboring terrorists responsible for attacks within its borders.
The suspects are believed to be members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),a banned organization with close ties to the Taliban in Afghanistan. According to government statements released via social media platform X, one of those detained, Sajid Ullah, is suspected of handling the explosive device used in the Tuesday attack on the Islamabad court.
The arrests were the result of a joint operation conducted by Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau and Counter-Terrorism Department.This breakthrough follows a statement by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday, identifying Afghan nationals as perpetrators of both the Islamabad bombing and a separate attack earlier this week in the northwest region of Pakistan.
Cross-Border Terrorism and Afghan Involvement
Investigators revealed that ullah confessed to receiving orders from Saeed-ur-Rehman, a TTP commander known as Daadullah, via the Telegram messaging app. Daadullah allegedly provided Ullah with photographs of the suicide bomber – an Afghan citizen residing in Nangarhar province – and instructed him to receive the attacker upon their entry into pakistan.
Ullah then reportedly arranged lodging for the bomber near Islamabad and retrieved the suicide vest from a graveyard in Peshawar, transporting it to the capital on Daadullah’s orders. Daadullah, originally from Pakistan’s Bajaur region, is currently believed to be hiding in Afghanistan and operates within the TTP’s intelligence wing.
The accusations extend beyond the Islamabad bombing. Naqvi stated that afghan citizens were also involved in an attack Monday in Wana, where gunmen stormed a cadet college, resulting in a nearly 20-hour gun battle that killed three soldiers and all the attackers.
Pakistan’s Security Concerns and Diplomatic Efforts
These attacks underscore a deteriorating security landscape in Pakistan, marked by a resurgence in militancy, strained relations with the Afghan government, and a precarious cross-border ceasefire. Until Tuesday’s blast, Islamabad had been considered relatively secure compared to the country’s northwest, which has long been plagued by violence.
In response to the escalating crisis, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently offered to engage in talks with the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, urging Kabul to take action against the TTP. Pakistan has sought assistance from international partners, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi expressing gratitude to Qatar and Turkey for facilitating dialog with Afghanistan.
“Pakistan has never eschewed dialogue with any government in Kabul,” Andrabi stated Friday, adding that Pakistan initially anticipated the Taliban government would be able to curb attacks originating from Afghanistan. He noted that Pakistan has consistently offered bilateral trade assistance and humanitarian aid, but the response from Kabul has been “only hollow promises and inaction.”
Accusations of Facilitating Terrorism
Andrabi further accused Kabul of attempting to portray militants hiding within its borders as refugees. “This is not a humanitarian or refugee crisis but a ploy to frame terrorists as refugees,” he asserted. He suggested that while some elements within the Afghan Taliban may not desire conflict with Pakistan, a powerful lobby, supported by foreign funding, is actively working to escalate tensions.
This lobby, according to Andrabi, is engaging in “abuses and outrageous allegations against Pakistan,” thereby eroding any remaining goodwill. There was no immediate response from Kabul to these accusations.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the situation continues to evolve as Pakistan grapples with the challenge of cross-border terrorism and seeks a path toward regional stability.
Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, and Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
