An explosion outside a district court in the Pakistani capital killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. The attack comes at a time of growing internal instability and heightened tensions with India and Afghanistan. While the army is busy fighting the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) in the border regions, the Senate yesterday approved the 27th constitutional amendment, which expands the army chief's powers and creates a new Federal Constitutional Court.

Islamabad (AsiaNews) – A terrorist attack today rocked Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, a day after a car bombing in New Delhi. The blast, which occurred outside a district court, left at least 12 dead and dozens injured.

“We will be able to provide more details after we get a report from our forensic team,” a police spokesperson said right after the incident; meanwhile, the investigation into the motives for the attack continues.

The Pakistani government has long struggled to respond to rising violence within its borders. The situation has further deteriorated recently due to growing tensions with Pakistan’s South Asian neighbours, India and Afghanistan.

After the April attack in Indian Kashmir (where Pakistan’s role remains unclear), New Delhi declared that it had “redefined India’s policy against terrorism” to the point that “any attack on Indian soil will be considered as an act of war.”

For its part, Pakistan claims that for years Afghanistan has hosted and trained members of Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban, the main perpetrators of terrorist attacks in the border areas between the two countries, where public infrastructures have been the main target.

The TTP, like their Afghan cousins, is seeking to set up an Islamic Emirate in Pakistan, modelled after the one re-established in Afghanistan in 2021.

Yesterday, as part of a terror attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the main gate of a military school in Wana, a district in  South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The army launched an operation to eliminate the rest of the attackers, which is still underway. About 137 of the 537 students have been evacuated from the school, while the others remain trapped in the building due to crossfire.

In recent weeks, tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the TTP’s activities have escalated into heavy armed clashes, including air strikes in Kabul. Since then, the two countries have not found a way to settle their differences despite perfunctory statements about finding solutions.

The Pakistani government has decided to respond to the instability with increased militarisation.

Yesterday, the governing coalition succeeded in pushing through the Senate a controversial bill to implement the 27th Constitutional Amendment, securing a two-thirds majority despite strong protests from the opposition.

The measure, which is before the National Assembly today, introduces significant changes to the judicial system, as well as to the military command, granting greater powers to the current Chief of the Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Yesterday's Senate vote came at the end of a turbulent session. Representatives of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the party led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently in prison, and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) walked out in protest, allowing the government to proceed with the vote.

Unexpectedly, two opposition senators voted in favour of the measure, going against their party line.

PTI Senator Saifullah Abro, who later announced his resignation, said he voted “only for [Field Marshal] Gen Asim Munir,” in recognition of the Pakistani military's successes in the May clash with India, when New Delhi, in response to the Kashmir attack, launched a series of missile strikes against Pakistan.

The JUI-F, however, expelled Senator Ahmed Khan for voting in favour of the measure.

The bill is also likely to easily gain approval from the Lower House.

Under Article 243, the amendment formally vests the office of Chief of the Defence Forces in the Chief of Army Staff.

The bill also grants lifetime immunity to the president, protecting him from criminal prosecution and arrest under Article 248. However, this immunity may be suspended if the former president holds public office again.

Another major innovation is the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), which will assume some of the powers currently reserved for the Supreme Court.

The FCC will become the primary forum for constitutional issues, including disputes between governments and the interpretation of the Constitution.

According to Minister Tarar, the measure will reduce the Supreme Court's workload, allowing it to focus on cases of “the common man”.

The head of the FCC will have a higher rank than the Chief Justice and will retire at 68, compared to the 65 required for current judges.

The court will have equal representation from all provinces and will also include a judge from the Islamabad High Court.

Opposition parties fear that the amendment will return the country to the era of General Zia-ul-Haq, who overthrew the government in 1977 and placed the military at the centre of Pakistan's power structure.

Former Defence Secretary General Asif Yasin Malik (retd) said that giving the army chief command of the air and naval forces creates an “institutional imbalance and a potential disaster”.

The reform, he explains, “appears tailored to benefit a specific individual rather than to strengthen the defence structure.”

• pakistan
• india
• afghanistan
• taliban
• terror attack
• armed clashes
• constitutional changes
• army chief