Pakistani Media Coverage of Delhi Red Fort Explosion: From Mysterious Blast to Anti-Terror Investigation

Delhi Police personnel at the Red Fort following a blast

Pakistani newspapers and television outlets have extensively covered the powerful explosion near Delhi's Red Fort on Monday evening that resulted in nine fatalities and twenty injuries.

Major Pakistani publications including Dawn, Geo News, The Express Tribune, The News International, and Pakistan Today featured the incident prominently on their front pages and websites, emphasizing that the investigation is proceeding under India's anti-terrorism legislation.

The Dawn, Pakistan's premier English-language newspaper, headlined its most recent report "Delhi police say car blast being probed under anti-terrorism law." Their coverage quoted Indian police officials stating that the explosion is being investigated under anti-terrorism legislation, with forensic experts examining evidence to determine the cause of what they described as "the first such blast in the city in more than a decade."

In a previous update, Dawn had reported the incident with the headline "Blast near New Delhi's Red Fort kills eight," noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had consulted with Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior officials regarding the situation.

Geo News published a similar headline, "Delhi car blast being probed under anti-terrorism law," highlighting that Indian authorities are leading the investigation under terrorism-related provisions.

The Express Tribune, another significant Pakistani daily, characterized the explosion as a "mysterious car blast near Delhi's Red Fort," reporting eight fatalities and twenty injuries. The publication noted that the incident prompted authorities to place several major cities and transportation hubs, including Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, on high alert.

Meanwhile, The News International covered the story with the headline "India probe Delhi car explosion under anti-terror law," emphasizing both the uncommon nature of such attacks in Delhi and the subsequent high alert implemented across multiple states.

Pakistan Today also prominently featured the story under the headline "Explosion near Red Fort in Delhi kills eight and injures 20." The outlet referenced Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha's statement that nearby vehicles ignited following the explosion, and reported that authorities had apprehended the car's previous owner, Salman, in connection with their investigation.

The explosion occurred at approximately 6:52 pm on Monday when a slow-moving Hyundai i20 exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station in India's capital. Investigators have since invoked provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as forensic and intelligence information indicated potential connections to the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Sources indicated that Umar Mohammad, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, owned the white Hyundai i20 and is believed to have been driving when the explosion was triggered.

Umar, who works as a doctor, has reportedly been a member of a radical doctors' group that coordinated via Telegram and maintains links to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), sources revealed.

According to reports, a man named Tariq from Pulwama provided the car to Umar. Tariq is now in police custody.

Hours before the Delhi explosion, police recovered 2,900 kg of explosives and inflammable material from two rented rooms belonging to a Kashmiri doctor, Muzammil Shakeel, in Haryana's Faridabad.