We have foiled a plot to attack parliament and surrounding buildings, and a mosque and arrested two militants: Rehman Malik. — Photo by APP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces on Friday arrested two would-be suicide attackers in Islamabad, which Interior Minister Rehman Malik said thwarted attacks on parliament and a mosque.

“We have foiled a plot to attack parliament and surrounding buildings, and a mosque and arrested two militants,” Malik told state television.

The minister said one of the men came from the northwestern town of Bannu and intended to carry out a suicide attack on a mosque in the upmarket F8/1 residential neighbourhood, home to Westerners and wealthy Pakistanis.

Senior Islamabad police official Bani Amin confirmed the arrests and the intention to attack the mosque.

“The arrests were made today in Islamabad. They had suicide jackets. Their target was a mosque in Islamabad.”

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

THE FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth ...
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...