(MENAFN) At least 12 people were killed and 27 others wounded in a suicide bombing outside Islamabad’s Judicial Complex on Thursday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed.

The explosion struck the parking area of the court complex.

“The suicide bomber targeted a police vehicle as he couldn't enter the complex,” Naqvi told reporters at the scene. “Efforts are underway to identify the attacker,” he added.

According to security sources speaking to media, most of the 12 victims were civilians. Their bodies were transported to a nearby hospital, while the injured were rushed to medical facilities for emergency care.

Police and rescue teams quickly secured the area and launched an investigation into the blast.

President Asif Zardari condemned the attack, stating that "foreign-sponsored" terrorists operating in Pakistan must be eliminated.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also denounced the bombing, blaming India for "spreading terrorism in the region through its proxies."

"The time has come for the world to condemn such nefarious conspiracies of India," Sharif said, alleging the attacks were "carried out from Afghan soil with Indian backing."

There was no immediate response from New Delhi or Kabul to Sharif’s statements. India has denied similar accusations in the past.

Meanwhile, security forces are conducting an operation against three militants holed up inside a building at Wana Cadet College in northwestern Pakistan, according to security sources.

The college houses roughly 500 cadets in a hostel, situated away from the building where the militants are located in South Waziristan, the sources said.

Naqvi confirmed that three people have been killed so far in the ongoing operation.

MENAFN11112025000045017169ID1110326818