Two deadly explosions in India and Pakistan within 24 hours have caused mistrust between the neighboring countries and raised fears of renewed instability in South Asia.
What happened in India
A car explosion in New Delhi on Monday, November 10, killed 13 people and injured several others near the Red Fort metro station, a crowded area in the center of the capital.
Police launched an extensive investigation, invoking India’s anti-terror law. At least five people were detained during overnight raids in Pulwama district, in Indian-administered Kashmir, and another seven suspects, including two doctors, were arrested in Faridabad, a city bordering Delhi. Authorities said weapons and bomb-making materials were seized.
Delhi Police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi said investigators were examining “all possible angles,” including terrorism, an accidental explosion, or mechanical failure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the injured at LNJP Hospital and described the incident as part of a “conspiracy,” promising those responsible would be brought to justice.
What happened in Pakistan
A day later, on Tuesday, November 11, a suicide bombing outside a district court complex in Islamabad killed 12 people and wounded 27. The attacker detonated explosives near a police vehicle after failing to enter the courthouse.
The Pakistan Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP) claimed responsibility, saying it targeted judges and lawyers for enforcing laws it described as “un-Islamic.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed it was a suicide attack. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the incident showed the country was in a “state of war” against militant groups. He warned that peace talks with the Afghan Taliban were unlikely to succeed while TTP fighters operated from Afghan territory.
However, the Pakistani government blamed “Indian proxies” for supporting militant attacks inside Pakistan, without providing evidence. India rejected the accusation, calling it “baseless and unfounded.”
Despite the claim by the Pakistan Taliban, Islamabad continues to allege Indian involvement. The exchange of accusations has further strained relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, which have fought several wars and remain divided over the Kashmir region.
Pakistan is facing a sharp increase in militant attacks, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. Officials say more than 600 incidents have occurred this year. Tuesday’s bombing was the most serious attack in Islamabad in several years.
India, meanwhile, is confronting its own security challenges over Kashmir, where armed groups have operated for decades.
