India expands proxy warfare funding against Pakistan, says minister after Islamabad blast

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said India has significantly expanded funding for terrorist groups operating against Pakistan, stating that New Delhi is relying on proxy warfare as it “cannot fight a conventional war” with Pakistan.

Speaking to media, Naqvi said militant operatives who were previously paid around $500 are now receiving up to $1,500, reflecting what he described as a threefold increase in funding.

He said India is channeling these resources to destabilize Pakistan through terrorism rather than engaging in direct military confrontation.

On Friday, city officials said the attacker attempted to enter the Imambargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque in Tarlai area on the outskirts of Islamabad but was stopped at the main gate, where the explosion occurred as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers. At least 32 people were martyred and 179 others injured.

“India avoids direct confrontation and instead wages indirect warfare through terrorism,” the interior minister said, adding that Pakistan’s security forces are actively dismantling these networks.

Naqvi confirmed that several facilitators involved in recent terrorist incidents have been arrested.

He said facilitators linked to the Islamabad suicide bombing were apprehended during operations in the northwestern cities of Nowshera and Peshawar.

The interior minister further disclosed that the main mastermind of the attack, an Afghan national associated with Daesh, has also been arrested and is currently in custody.

According to preliminary investigations, the attackers received training from Daesh elements operating in Afghanistan, he said.

Naqvi added that during overnight operations, a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police assistant sub-inspector embraced martyrdom, while three other security personnel were injured.

Describing the security situation, the minister said Pakistan is facing a “state of war against terrorism” and stressed the importance of community cooperation.

He urged citizens to report suspicious individuals and unfamiliar visitors in their neighborhoods to law enforcement agencies.

Training from Afghanistan

Earlier, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said individuals involved in the recent suicide bombing had travelled to Afghanistan for training, reiterating that the use of Afghan soil against Pakistan would not be tolerated.

Addressing a media briefing at Idara Minhajul Hussain, Tarrar said terrorists have “no religion, faith, color, or race,” adding that their sole ideology is to “spread terror.”

“On behalf of the State of Pakistan and the prime minister, I fully assure the public that the government is taking, and will continue to take, full measures for the protection of mosques, Imambargahs, and all religious centers,” he said.

Tarrar said “significant progress” has been made in identifying the facilitators of the attacker involved in the Islamabad bombing.

Condemning the attack, he said, “It is unacceptable that on the blessed day of Friday, inside an Imambargah during prayers, when Allah is being remembered and people are worshipping, Muslims are targeted in this manner.”

“I say this with full conviction: there will be no leniency towards extremism and terrorism. We will properly rein them in, pursue them, and hunt them down,” he said, adding that the state considers such elements as Kharijites (terrorists) and is fully resolved to eliminate them for the welfare of Pakistan.

Commenting on the evolving tactics of militant groups, Tarrar said terrorists have “lost the capacity” to attack hardened targets and are now targeting suburban and remote areas.

“This is a sign of their weakness,” he said, adding that security forces have largely traced facilitators and handlers.

He also said approximately 170 injured individuals are currently under treatment in hospitals, with efforts underway to provide the best possible medical care.

Progress in investigation

Earlier, according to the sources, intelligence and law enforcement agencies conducted raids in Peshawar and Nowshera based on technical and human intelligence.

The sources said four facilitators of the suicide attacker, along with the Afghan mastermind, have been arrested.

They added that the planning, training, and indoctrination for the attack were carried out in Afghanistan, warning that under the patronage of the Afghan Taliban, ISIS and other terrorist groups pose a serious threat to regional and global peace.

Further intelligence-based operations are ongoing, they said.

State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudry said the attacker had been identified and claimed the blast was sponsored by “Indian- and Afghanistan-based terrorist groups.”

He said the bomber had travelled to Afghanistan prior to the attack.

“These terrorists operate in two forms: those who misuse religion and others like the BLA who weaponize ethnicity. Both are funded in dollars, not ideology,” Chaudry said.

Rejecting any religious justification for the attack, he added, “How can anyone use the name of religion to kill people standing before Allah? No Muslim can do this.”