Bombings in India, Pakistan have South Asia on edge

Tensions escalated across South Asia after separate Monday bombings in India and Pakistan left at least 20 people dead and nearly 30 others injured.

Although officials have not established a direct connection between the two incidents, authorities in both countries are treating the explosions as suspected acts of terrorism.

The explosion in India erupted near New Delhi’s historic Red Fort, a popular tourist area, which previously served as the capital for India’s Mughal emperors.  

The Associated Press reported the death toll from the blast was at least eight people, and Reuters reports that at least 20 people were injured. 

Senior Indian police officials told the AP the case is being investigated under anti-terrorism statutes. 

“A slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha told reporters, according to Reuters. 

A previous owner of the car, a Hyundai i20, was questioned by police, which resulted in the arrest of three men police say were involved in the attack.  

The three men are suspected of helping a fourth man conduct the suicide bombing.   

According to officials, the suspects held ordinary jobs in sectors including public utilities, plumbing and private security, reported India’s NDTV.  

The Times of India named the suspected bomber, Dr. Mohammad Umar, a Kashmiri man. 

Photos of Umar splashed across the social media allege authorities have photos of him parking the car near the fort three hours before the blast. 

He then allegedly waited inside the car until he maneuvered it into position for the explosion, said India’s News18. 

News18 reports that Umar and his accomplices are associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terror group operating in Kashmir with ties to Pakistan. 

“The horrific incident that took place in Delhi last evening has deeply disturbed everyone’s hearts,” said India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X. “I understand the grief of the affected families. The entire nation stands with them.”  

Meanwhile Pakistan blamed an India-backed terrorist associated with the Taliban for the suicide attack that killed 12 people in Islamabad, reported the Wall Street Journal. 

The AP reports that at least 27 people were also injured in the blast.   

The bombing occurred outside a busy district court, added the AP.  

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told journalists that the terrorist tried to enter the courthouse, but when he was prevented from doing so, detonated a bomb near several police cars, according to the New York Times. 

Naqvi said the head of the alleged bomber was found near the scene, according to the AP. 

Pakistan is currently fighting an insurgency from native Taliban elements, which Islamabad said gets aid from both India and Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban. 

“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,” said Pakistan’s Minister of Defense Khawaja M. Asif. 

Adam Weinstein, an analyst with the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute told the New York Times that the latest bombing was “deeply ominous.” 

“Bomb blasts have moved from the frontier back into Pakistan’s cities,” he told the news outlet. “With its guarded checkpoints into the city and proximity to army headquarters, Islamabad is the ultimate litmus test. If Islamabad isn’t safe, nowhere is”  

On Friday, peace negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan collapsed according to media reports, as fighting erupted along the border region. In October, both sides signed a cease-fire, reported Reuters. 

The Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office laid the blame for the bombing directly at the feet of India in a social media post, connecting the attack to other fighting near the Afghan border.  

“Under Indian instigation, the Fitna al-Khawarij, operating from Afghanistan, also attacked innocent children in Wana at this time; it is time for the world to condemn such nefarious conspiracies of India,” said the post. 

The U.S. has condemned the attacks in both India and Pakistan.