Islamabad blast: Is Pakistan shifting blame to India amid domestic crisis? MEA responds
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that Pakistan’s allegations were “false narratives” aimed at distracting from domestic political and security crises. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the accusations as “a predictable tactic by Pakistan to concoct false narratives against India in order to deflect the attention of its own public from the ongoing military-inspired constitutional subversion and power-grab unfolding within the country.”
At least 12 people were killed and over 30 injured in the explosion outside the district and sessions court in Islamabad, according to Pakistan’s interior ministry and hospital authorities. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused India of orchestrating the attack as well as another incident in Wana, South Waziristan, labelling them “the worst examples of Indian state terrorism in the region.” He called on the world to “condemn such nefarious conspiracies of India,” though he did not provide evidence to substantiate the claims.
New Delhi quickly dismissed Sharif’s allegations, reiterating that the international community would not be misled by Pakistan’s diversionary ploys. The MEA stressed that the accusations were part of a “predictable tactic by a delirious Pakistani leadership” attempting to shift attention from internal challenges.
According to Pakistani media, the Jamaa-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the Islamabad blast, though the main TTP denied involvement. The militant group has carried out numerous deadly attacks in Pakistan in recent years, often targeting the armed forces, and remains central to rising tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban government in Kabul.
The explosion occurred amid heightened security in the Pakistani capital, which was hosting multiple international conferences. A cricket match featuring the Sri Lankan team was underway nearby in Rawalpindi, approximately 10 km from the blast site. Islamabad has largely remained peaceful in recent years, with the last major attack reported in December 2022, when a car bomb at a police post killed one officer — an assault claimed by the TTP.