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A day after a bomb blast in Pakistan\u2019s capital, Islamabad, and two days after a similar explosion in India\u2019s capital, New Delhi, tensions in South Asia have heightened. A blame game has intensified between the neighbours who are still reeling from a brief but intense conflict just six months ago.<\/p>\n
Here is more about what happened in Islamabad and Delhi, and what Pakistani and Indian officials are saying about the attacks.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n At 6:52pm (13:22 GMT) on Monday, a powerful explosion tore through Delhi, in a densely populated area near the Red Fort Metro Station. At least 13 people were killed and more than 20 people were wounded.<\/p>\n \u201cA slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,\u201d Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha told reporters.<\/p>\n While India has not officially blamed anyone, Delhi Police have invoked India\u2019s primary \u201ccounterterrorism\u201d law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, of 1967.<\/p>\n Police detained the original owner of the vehicle in which the explosion took place. The owner was identified as Mohammad Salman in the city of Gurugram in Haryana state on Delhi\u2019s outskirts. Salman had purchased the vehicle in 2013.<\/p>\n Investigators revealed that Salman sold the vehicle to a man in New Delhi, who later resold it. The man who Salman sold the vehicle to has also been arrested. Despite the sales, the car remained registered in Salman\u2019s name and bore a Haryana number plate, according to local media reports.<\/p>\n During a scheduled trip to the Bhutanese capital Thimpu, India\u2019s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: \u201cToday, I have come to Bhutan with a very heavy heart. The horrific incident that happened in Delhi last evening has deeply disturbed everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Modi added: \u201cOur agencies will get to the very bottom of this conspiracy. The conspirators behind this will not be spared. All those responsible will be brought to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also said that investigative agencies are conducting a \u201cswift and thorough\u201d inquiry into the blast.<\/p>\n But despite these statements, Indian leaders and security officials have so far not formally named any individual or group as responsible for the explosion.<\/p>\n New Delhi has also, so far, not accused Pakistan of being behind the attack.<\/p>\n But Pakistani officials have said that they expect India to blame Pakistan for the attack in Delhi.<\/p>\n While speaking to local media, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, referring to the attack in Delhi: \u201cI won\u2019t be surprised if in the next few hours or tomorrow India blames us for this.\u201d<\/p>\n Less than 24 hours after the attack in Delhi, around 12:30pm (07:30 GMT) on Tuesday, an explosion took place at the entrance of the District Judicial Complex on Srinagar Highway in Islamabad.<\/p>\n Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said to reporters that a \u201csuicide bomber\u201d detonated explosives near a police vehicle outside the gates of the court.<\/p>\n Naqvi added that the perpetrator tried to \u201center the court premises but, failing to do so, targeted a police vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n The minister said that at least 12 people were killed in the attack in Islamabad and more than 30 were wounded, with at least five in critical condition.<\/p>\n The Jamaa-ul-Ahrar, which is a splinter faction of the Pakistan Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP) armed group, has claimed responsibility for the attack. But the TTP, which ideologically aligns with the Afghan Taliban, has denied its involvement in the attack.<\/p>\n Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said that he \u201cstrongly condemned the suicide blast\u201d.<\/p>\n Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif has blamed \u201cIndian proxies\u201d for the attack on Islamabad, without providing evidence.<\/p>\n In a statement, Sharif said: \u201cTerrorist attacks on unarmed citizens of Pakistan by India\u2019s terrorist proxies are condemnable.\u201d<\/p>\n A day before the Islamabad attack, a car packed with explosives crashed into the campus entrance in district capital Wana. Security forces report that at least 300 cadets have been rescued, and operations to free the rest are still under way. Sharif has also blamed India for this attack.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth attacks are the worst examples of Indian state terrorism in the region. It is time for the world to condemn such nefarious conspiracies of India,\u201d Sharif said.<\/p>\n Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that the attack in Islamabad was planned from Afghanistan, at India\u2019s behest. Relations between Pakistan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan have been deteriorating for years, hitting a new peak of tension in October following a series of border clashes.<\/p>\n During the clashes, which began in early October, 50 civilians were killed and 447 were injured on the Afghan side of the border, according to the United Nations. At least five people were killed in the Afghan capital, Kabul.<\/p>\n Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, mediated by Qatar and Turkiye in Istanbul, collapsed on November 7.<\/p>\n At the same time, the relations between India and the Taliban are thawing. Afghanistan\u2019s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited India in early October, marking the first visit by a top Taliban leader since the group returned to power in 2021.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkiye\u2019s foreign and defence ministers, along with its intelligence chief, will visit Pakistan to discuss Islamabad\u2019s stalled peace talks with Afghanistan.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
What happened in Delhi?<\/h2>\n
Who has India blamed for it?<\/h2>\n
How has Pakistan responded to India?<\/h2>\n
What happened in Islamabad?<\/h2>\n
Who has Pakistan blamed for it?<\/h2>\n