ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — In a shocking and openly televised endorsement of terrorism, a senior Pakistani politician has admitted that Islamabad played a direct role in the November 10 car bomb blast outside Delhi’s Red Fort, an attack that has already claimed more than 13 lives.
A newly surfaced video shows Chaudhry Anwarul Haq — who was removed as the “Prime Minister” of Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) on Monday after a no-confidence vote — bragging about Pakistan’s involvement while addressing the POJK Legislative Assembly.
Haq, known for supporting Pakistan-sponsored militancy in Kashmir, declared: “I had warned that if Balochistan kept bleeding, we would strike India from the Red Fort to Kashmir’s forests and we did… They still can’t count the bodies.”
His comments, now widely circulating across social media, amount to one of the most direct on-record acknowledgments of Pakistan-backed terrorism targeting India’s capital.
Investigators have already determined that the blast was carried out by a Jaish-e-Mohammad module — the same Pakistan-based terror group responsible for major attacks including the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing. Jaish was founded by Masood Azhar, one of India’s most wanted terrorists.
Security analysts say evidence from the probe suggests Pakistan is shifting its terror strategy by striking targets deep within India, away from the traditional focus on Jammu and Kashmir. This shift, they warn, requires significant adjustments in India’s counterterror planning and greater coordination among agencies.
Meanwhile, Pakistan-based social media accounts continue to push disinformation aimed at radicalizing Indian youth, a trend that authorities say mirrors earlier online tactics used by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
ISI, long accused of orchestrating terror operations in the region, is believed to be attempting a fresh recruitment drive across India to recreate sleeper networks similar to those used in past attacks. The 2008 Mumbai terror attack — which killed 166 people — was planned by Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives directed from Pakistan, with evidence linking the plot to ISI handlers.
The Red Fort blast and Haq’s televised boast have renewed concerns about Pakistan’s role as a “harbinger of militancy” in South Asia, reinforcing longstanding accusations that elements within the country continue to use terrorism as a state policy tool. (Source: IANS)
