Militants Behind Military College Attack Had Links To Afghanistan, Says Pak Minister

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry denounced the blast in the Indian capital and expressed condolences to the victims’ families, as well as to the people and government of India.

The reaction came as Islamabad on the same day was hit by a powerful explosion near the city’s judicial complex. Pakistani security officials said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

No group has claimed responsibility for the Islamabad bombing.

In a post on X, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif wrote that Pakistan is in a state of war. He said anyone who believes the army is fighting only in border regions or in Balochistan “should be awakened” by the attack. “This war belongs to all of Pakistan,” he said, adding that the military is making daily sacrifices while providing citizens with a sense of protection and security.

Asif said that in the current circumstances, placing hope in negotiations with the ‘rulers in Kabul’ would be a mistake, insisting that the Taliban have the ability to prevent terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.

He said the fact the violence has reached Islamabad sends a message from Kabul, but Pakistan, by the grace of God, has the capability to respond decisively.

At least 12 people were killed and 27 wounded in the blast near the Islamabad judicial complex. The explosion occurred Tuesday morning in the capital’s G-11 district, and officials said the blast ignited several vehicles in the area.

According to the UN office a combination of the two is driving farmers back toward opium cultivation.

In a post on X, UNODC said that countries and relevant organisations should prioritise climate-resilience efforts to prevent a renewed surge in illicit crop production.

The agency noted earlier that poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is projected to decline by 20 percent in 2025, with farmers’ income from opium sales during the same period nearly halved.

Despite this decline, UNODC cautioned that the increasing return of Afghan migrants from neighbouring countries is adding strain to the labour market and limited resources, raising concerns about a potential rise in illegal opium cultivation.

The warning coincides with the opening of the COP30 global climate summit in Belém, Brazil, on Monday, where representatives from more than 190 countries are discussing emissions reductions, renewable energy expansion and aid for climate-vulnerable nations. The Taliban was not invited to the event.

According to the UN, Afghanistan is among the world’s 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, facing severe drought, floods, irregular rainfall and declining water supplies.

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice earlier rejected claims that wearing a burqa was mandatory in Herat, but sources said the restriction remains strictly enforced.

A viewer in Herat shared a video with Afghanistan International, saying that Taliban officers used violence while blocking women from entering and that they were beating them.

On Sunday, the Taliban’s virtue ministry denied that the burqa had been made compulsory for women in Herat and said women in the province had not been denied government services for not wearing one.

However, according to local sources and videos received by Afghanistan International, Taliban members have required women to wear the burqa in public places and government offices in Herat since Wednesday.

He delivered the remarks on Saturday in Saint-Raphaël, in France’s Var region, at the “Meetings for the Future” conference, where he addressed challenges to democracy.

Massoud said his movement had not pursued armed resistance as a goal but as a last resort after attempts at dialogue were rejected by the Taliban. He described the resistance as a means to achieve a political settlement that would allow Afghans to choose their own government and enable women and girls to access education and equal opportunities.

He argued that while international dynamics have shifted since the time of his father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Taliban’s behaviour has remained unchanged. He said the group continues to inflict repression similar to its earlier rule and warned that global fatigue and competing crises may be contributing to declining international attention to Afghanistan.

Massoud called on the international community to keep Afghanistan high on both humanitarian and political agendas. He said Afghanistan should remain under consideration by international judicial mechanisms, that sanctions against Taliban leaders should remain in place, and that no government should grant the Taliban formal recognition. He described these steps as straightforward measures that could significantly improve the lives of millions of Afghans.

He highlighted values such as democracy, women’s rights, and freedom of expression as shared principles between Afghans and Europeans, and said they had been systematically dismantled by the Taliban.

The “Meetings for the Future” conference, held annually in France, brings together policymakers, academics, and civil society leaders to discuss long-term global challenges.

Massoud also commented on recent clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, saying the tensions reflected long-standing structural problems. He said Pakistan had long believed it could control the Taliban but that the group has its own ideology and maintains ties with organisations such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which claims territory inside Pakistan.

He added that Western governments had previously attempted to convince themselves that the Taliban had changed, possibly due to diplomatic misjudgements or a desire to move past the war. However, he said current Taliban actions and policies make clear that such assumptions can no longer be sustained.