Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday said that the suicide bomber who carried out the attack outside the Islamabad district and sessions court building was “not a Pakistani national”.

Twelve people were killed and 36 were injured in a suicide blast on Tuesday outside the district and sessions court building in Islamabad’s G-11 area. The incident occurred as international events were being hosted in the capital, including the first one-day international (ODI) match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. A clearance operation was also carried out in Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan against terrorists hiding inside the educational institute.

Statements from the leadership had linked the attacks to Afghanistan and India.

Elaborating on the matter in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Chaudhry said: “The suicide attacker in the Islamabad blast was not a Pakistani. I am confirming this to you. He did not know Pakistan’s language nor did he know of the country’s currency.”

He said he was revealing the information as per the initial investigation, but could not say more so as not to impact it. “We have all the evidence regarding these two events, based on which we have named Afghanistan and India,” Chaudhry added.

The state minister said the assailant had rented vehicles to enter Islamabad, adding that, according to what was found from people who had dealt with him, he did not know the local currency or language.

“I am confirming that the suicide bomber was not a Pakistani,” he reiterated.

A day ago, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said attacks on terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan could not be ruled out after the incidents in Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

When asked during an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ if Pakistan would respond after the attacks, Asif had said: “God willing”, adding that attacks on terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan “could not be ruled out” and could definitely happen.

The defence minister added that Pakistan was “compelled” to act after the attacks.

The defence minister had said that there should be no more illusions that the Afghan Taliban were sympathisers of Pakistan or were sincere in wanting peace. “Let’s not fool ourselves … there were three rounds of talks,” he had said.

He elaborated that there was no unified government in Kabul, but rather it was composed of various groups and factions with different interests and agendas.

“Some are linked with India and some have their strings being pulled from elsewhere, so both of these incidents, I think, are a prelude to a coming aggression that could happen from the Afghan side, actually, it will be Indian aggression that is being waged in our country through the route of Afghanistan.”