Islamabad, November 11, 2025: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday declared that Pakistan was in a “state of war” following a deadly suicide blast in the federal capital that left at least 12 people dead and 36 injured, warning that it was “futile to hope” for positive outcomes from ongoing dialogue with Kabul.
The powerful explosion ripped through the district courts area of Islamabad amid heightened security as several international events — including the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference and the 6th Margalla Dialogue — were underway. A Pakistan–Sri Lanka cricket match was also being held in nearby Rawalpindi.
In a post on X, the defence minister said, “Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and remote areas of Balochistan should take today’s suicide attack as a wake-up call. This is a war for all of Pakistan, and our soldiers are sacrificing daily to ensure the nation’s safety.”
Asif said the latest assault underscored “a message from Kabul,” adding that Pakistan “has the full strength to respond.” He asserted that Afghanistan’s rulers could stop terrorism in Pakistan if they truly wished to.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the blast, blaming “terrorists active with Indian support” for the attack. He stressed that peace in the region was impossible without Kabul reining in groups operating from Afghan soil.
“The recent border clashes and now this attack are part of a pattern,” the prime minister said, adding that Pakistan’s response to provocations along the frontier had been “firm and decisive.”
The attack has further strained already tense relations between Pakistan and the Taliban government in Kabul, which have been marred by repeated border skirmishes and stalled peace talks.
According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, three senior Turkish officials are expected in Islamabad this week to help defuse tensions between the two neighbours. Turkiye and Qatar have been jointly mediating the ongoing dialogue between Islamabad and Kabul.
