Pakistan: Suicide Blast Kills Police Officer

Facts

• A suicide car bombing during a police stop in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Friday has claimed the lives of at least one police officer and the two preparators, with four officers and two civilians suffering injuries.
• The Islamabad police chief stated that the vehicle had failed to stop at a police checkpoint, and detonated their explosives in a "suicidal blast" as police were in pursuit.
• The Pakistani Taliban, known locally as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have claimed responsibility for the attack in retaliation against the death of a senior leader this August, which the group pinned on Pakistani intelligence services.
• The interior ministry believes the vehicle was en route to the city of Rawalpindi, home to many defense agencies, with the minister stating that "heavy losses" would have been incurred if the militants reached their target.
• Rawalpindi has been placed on high alert in the aftermath of the attack, with police ramping up vehicle inspections at checkpoints, while Islamabad was already on alert due to terrorist threats.
• The TTP ended a ceasefire agreement with Pakistan last month and have resumed attacks in the country, with dozens of TTP fighters dying after a standoff with the military at a detention center earlier this week. Pakistan has conducted offensives against TTP safe havens along the border with Afghanistan.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, and Geo.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Dispatch. In a cruel twist of fate, Pakistan is under threat from a group they once vocally supported in their fight against the US. Afghanistan has failed to take steps against the TTP, and Pakistan is helpless against insurgents launching attacks from their Taliban-controlled neighbor. They have reaped what they've sown with regards to support for rouge terror groups. More innocent civilians are being victimized as a result of this foreign policy blunder.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Indian Express. The situation with Afghanistan, and their support or indifference to attacks originating from their country, is a reality that cannot be wished away. It would be foolish to disengage with Kabul over the security situation, as it's clear that a solution can only come from cooperation between the two nations. Pakistan will continue the fight against insurgents the best it can, without resorting to such drastic measures. While there is disappointment that Afghanistan is not taking measures against militant groups, Pakistan's fight is against the TTP, not Afghanistan.