Islamabad bomb blast live: 12 dead in Pakistan capital in ‘suicide attack’

Islamabad bomb blast live: 12 dead in Pakistan capital in 'suicide attack'

Tuesday, 11 November 2025

An explosion has killed at least 12 people and injured 27 others outside a court building in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
    
A powerful car bomb exploded at the entrance of the sprawling district judicial complex in the city, state-run media and officials said.

Police in Islamabad have told reported that the courthouse in the capital was crowded when the explosion took place which led to injuries to several people.

Those wounded in the attack were taken to PIMS Hospital.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the cause of the blast.

Lawyer Rustam Malik, who was in the area, has told AFP news agency that the blast sent people fleeing and damaged vehicles in the area.

"As I parked my car and entered the complex … I heard a loud bang on the gate," Malik said.

"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."
    
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Defence Minister Khawaja M Asif have called it a "suicide attack".
    
According to Pakistan TV, the casualties were mostly passers-by or those who had arrived for court hearings.
    
President Zardari has condemned what he described as a "suicide blast" near the Islamabad District Judicial Complex.
    
The explosion occurred at 12:39pm (07:39 GMT), according to Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also said it was a suicide attack.
    
The blast took place near the entrance of the district court, which is typically crowded with litigants and lawyers during the day.
    
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
    
The explosion came just hours after Pakistani security forces said they thwarted an overnight attempt by armed combatants to storm a cadet college in Wana, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border.
    
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan was "in a state of war", adding that today’s attack should be taken as a "wake-up call".

Islamabad has seen attacks in the past, but it has been relatively calm over the last few years.

This comes at a time when there is an escalation of attacks near the border which Pakistan blames on the Afghan government.

The defence minister said it would be futile to consider peace talks with Afghan government. A few weeks ago, we had deadly exchange of fire across the border and this attack will raise the tension between the two countries.

"In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul," he said on X.

"The rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan, but bringing this war all the way to Islamabad is a message from Kabul, to which – praise be to God – Pakistan has the full strength to respond."