Khawaja Asif Trolled For Blaming Afghanistan After Pakistani Taliban Claims Islamabad Attack (WATCH)

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was trolled after blaming Afghanistan for the Islamabad suicide blast — only to be corrected by a journalist that the Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility. His shocked “Is it?” moment went viral.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif found himself at the centre of ridicule on Wednesday after an awkward exchange with a journalist exposed his apparent unawareness of who was behind a major terror attack in Islamabad. Moments after the deadly suicide bombing that killed at least 12 people in the capital, Asif, while addressing reporters, said, “By attacking Islamabad, Afghanistan has increased the temperature of war.”

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But when a journalist pointed out that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — not Afghanistan — had claimed responsibility, Asif looked visibly surprised and asked, “Is it?”

The moment, captured on camera, spread quickly across social media, with users mocking the Defence Minister of Pakistan.

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TTP Claims Responsibility

The Pakistani Taliban on Tuesday had issued a statement claiming the Islamabad suicide bombing, calling it an attack against “judges, lawyers and officials who carried out rulings under Pakistan’s un-Islamic laws.”

The group vowed more such attacks until Sharia law was implemented in Pakistan.

According to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, “12 people were killed and 27 wounded when the assailant detonated explosives near a police vehicle.”

Witnesses described scenes of chaos outside the district court buildings, where the explosion shattered windows and set several vehicles ablaze.

Lawyer Mohammed Shahzad Butt told AFP, “Everyone started running inside out of panic. I have seen at least five dead bodies lying at the front gate.”

Another lawyer, Rustam Malik, recalled hearing “a loud bang at the gate” as he entered the complex. “It was complete chaos… I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate and several cars were on fire,” he said.

A City Shaken After Years of Calm

Islamabad has largely been spared major militant attacks in recent years. The last suicide bombing occurred in December 2022. The capital’s sense of relative calm was shattered on Tuesday evening as people fled in panic amid smoke and debris.

Paramilitary troops swiftly cordoned off the site, even as emergency teams rushed to rescue the wounded.

The attack came just a day after a car explosion in New Delhi killed at least eight people, prompting comparisons between the two incidents and renewed concerns over the regional terror threat.

Finger-Pointing Across the Border

Even before the TTP statement surfaced, Islamabad’s leadership had been quick to cast blame on Afghanistan.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi linked another attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Wana district to Afghanistan, saying, “There was an attack in Wana as well last night. Three people died in that attack. The attacker involved in that attack is an Afghan. Afghanistan is directly involved in that attack.”

Defence Minister Asif doubled down on this narrative in his social media post, calling the Islamabad bombing “a wake-up call.” He added, “In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul.”

However, his remarks — especially in light of his earlier confusion — have drawn sharp criticism online. Many accused the minister of deflecting blame and politicising a national tragedy instead of acknowledging the domestic roots of militancy.

Tensions on the Edge

Pakistan has been witnessing a sharp resurgence of militant violence, particularly in areas bordering Afghanistan. Officials blame armed groups “sheltered on Afghan soil,” while Kabul denies the allegations.

Last month, a bloody cross-border clash left over 70 people dead on both sides — including 50 Afghan civilians, according to the United Nations. Attempts to restore calm through negotiations collapsed last week, with both sides accusing each other of bad faith.

Tuesday’s suicide bombing has now reignited the blame game — and, for many Pakistanis, raised painful questions about accountability, security, and leadership.

As one social media user wrote under a viral clip of Khawaja Asif’s interview: “When your Defence Minister doesn’t even know who attacked the capital, what defence are we talking about?”