How Pakistan media covered ‘mysterious’ Red Fort blast in Delhi

Pakistani newspapers and television channels have given extensive coverage to Monday evening’s powerful explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, which claimed 12 lives and left 20 others injured.

Leading outlets such as Dawn, Geo News, The Express Tribune, The News International and Pakistan Today featured the incident prominently on their front pages and websites.

Most reports highlighted that Indian authorities are investigating the explosion under the country’s anti-terrorism law.

Dawn

Pakistan’s top English-language daily, Dawn, reported the story under the headline “Delhi police say car blast being probed under anti-terrorism law.”

The publication quoted Indian police officials confirming that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has been invoked. The report described the explosion as the city’s first such attack in more than a decade, with forensic teams now analysing evidence to determine the cause.

An earlier Dawn update titled “Blast near New Delhi’s Red Fort kills eight” mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior authorities.

Geo News

Geo News carried a similar headline, “Delhi car blast being probed under anti-terrorism law,” and emphasised that Indian security agencies have taken charge of the investigation under terrorism-related provisions.

The Express Tribune

According to The Express Tribune, the “mysterious car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort” killed at least eight people and injured 20. The outlet reported that the incident prompted a security alert in several major Indian cities, including Mumbai and parts of Uttar Pradesh.

The News International

The News International ran the headline “India probe Delhi car explosion under anti-terror law,” underscoring the rarity of such attacks in the capital and the subsequent tightening of security across multiple states.

Pakistan Today

Pakistan Today published its report as “Explosion near Red Fort in Delhi kills eight and injures 20.” Citing Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha, the paper said nearby vehicles caught fire following the explosion. It also reported that police had detained the car’s former owner, identified as Salman, for questioning.

Details of the incident

The explosion took place at approximately 6:52 p.m. on Monday when a white Hyundai i20 suddenly blew up near the Red Fort Metro Station. NIA to probe the blast. Investigators have since invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after early intelligence pointed to potential links with the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

The vehicle was allegedly owned by Umar Mohammad, a resident of Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, who is believed to have been driving the car when the blast occurred. Umar, a medical doctor, was reportedly part of an online group of radicalised doctors communicating via Telegram with connections to JeM.

Police have also detained a man named Tariq, also from Pulwama, who allegedly handed over the vehicle to Umar.

In a related development, hours before the Delhi explosion, authorities in Faridabad, Haryana, recovered 2,900 kilograms of explosives and flammable materials from two rented rooms belonging to another Kashmiri doctor, Muzammil Shakeel.