Pakistan in ‘state of war,’ says Khawaja Asif after Islamabad bombing, WARNS to ‘pay back in the same coin’ against any hostile action

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday declared that his country was now “in a state of war, calling the deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad a “wake-up call” for the nation. Without clearly naming its opponent, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested that Pakistan’s patience was wearing thin with the Taliban government in Afghanistan after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the Islamabad attack. Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of giving shelter to TTP fighters, a charge that Kabul continues to deny.

“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 should take today’s suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts as a wake-up call: this is a war for all of Pakistan, in which the Pakistan Army is giving daily sacrifices and making the people feel secure,” Asif wrote on X.

He also warned that the country might launch strikes inside Afghanistan after recent terror attacks in Islamabad and South Waziristan. He blamed the Afghan Taliban government for giving shelter to the militants behind the attacks. In an interview with Geo News, Asif also cautioned both India(BHARAT) and Afghanistan against any hostile action, saying Pakistan would “pay back in the same coin.”

The minister said that the option of taking cross-border action inside Afghanistan could not be “ruled out” after these incidents. Asif dismissed the Afghan Taliban’s statement condemning the attacks, saying such remarks could not be “taken as proof of sincerity.” He added, “Those sheltered by the Afghan Taliban are repeatedly attacking us.”

He further explained that Pakistan did not plan to start any military conflict but would defend itself if attacked. “Pakistan will never initiate any military adventure,” he said. “We will not let any act of aggression go unanswered; we will respond forcefully.”

In the last two days, Pakistan has suffered two major terror strikes, one near Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan and another in Islamabad.

Blast outside Islamabad court

At least 12 people were killed and over 25 others injured, most of them lawyers, after a powerful blast ripped through a parked car near the Islamabad judicial complex on Tuesday, according to Pakistani media reports. Officials confirmed that it was a suicide bombing.

The explosion happened around 12:30 p.m., near the entrance of the Islamabad district court, when the area was crowded with lawyers and visitors. The blast caused chaos on the court premises and was so loud that it was heard as far as six kilometres away.

Before the attack, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had posted on X, warning that Pakistan was ready to respond to any cross-border terrorism. “We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war only in the border areas along Afghanistan or in the remote regions of Balochistan should take the suicide attack in Islamabad as a wake-up call,” he wrote.

What the TTP Said While Claiming Responsibility for the Islamabad Bombing

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed that the Islamabad court attack was aimed at “judges, lawyers, and officials” who, it said, were enforcing Pakistan’s “un-Islamic laws.” The group also warned that such attacks would continue until Islamic rule was established throughout the country.

In recent months, Pakistan has witnessed a sharp increase in militant violence, which officials have linked to groups operating from across the Afghan border.

Following Tuesday’s bombing, Pakistan also accused India(BHARAT) of being involved in the attack — a claim that drew a strong response from New Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs, which dismissed the allegation as false and baseless.