By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - A suicide bombing at the Imambargah on Friday has marked the second major attack on Pakistan’s capital in less than three months.

Pakistani officials have attributed the violence to “anti-Pakistan forces.” Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said earlier on Friday that India and the Afghan Taliban were involved in efforts to destabilize the country.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told media representatives that forensic analysis of the bomber’s remains confirmed his identity in the Tarlai mosque attack. According to Chaudhry, the attacker had traveled to Afghanistan multiple times, with his movement history suggesting links to the country and alleged training there.

He further claimed that the perpetrators were backed by Afghanistan and India, accusing neighboring states of sponsoring terrorism inside Pakistan.

The minister alleged that India had tripled its funding for militant activities, warning that cross-border support continues to fuel attacks on civilians and soft targets such as mosques, educational institutions, and banks. He described the assault as “the height of cowardice.”

Among those killed, Chaudhry noted, were a cousin of the Islamabad Inspector General and an inspector from the Gilgit Police, highlighting the personal toll on law enforcement.

The latest bombing follows a November 11 attack outside Islamabad’s Judicial Complex, where a lone suicide bomber, identified by authorities as an Afghan national,  detonated explosives after failing to enter the premises, killing 12 people and injuring at least 36. Investigators had said the attacker’s handlers received training in Afghanistan.

In response to that earlier incident, authorities established additional police checkpoints, expanded the Safe City camera network, and introduced mandatory electronic vehicle tags at several entry points to monitor traffic into the capital.

Despite these measures, the Tarlai attacker was able to reach an area within Islamabad’s limits, drawing criticism from grieving families who gathered at hospitals searching for missing relatives and questioning the effectiveness of security arrangements.

Police officials noted that the blast occurred on the rural outskirts of the capital, where monitoring relies more heavily on human intelligence than on the technological surveillance deployed in urban sectors and around government installations.

More than 200,000 vehicles have been fitted with e-tags so far as part of efforts to track the estimated 400,000 to 500,000 vehicles that travel through Islamabad each day, many arriving from neighboring Rawalpindi.

Security observers say the attack highlights ongoing vulnerabilities, particularly in peripheral areas, and reflects the complex militant threat environment facing Pakistan even as authorities tighten defenses in the federal capital.