Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that the mastermind behind the deadly suicide bombing at a mosque in Islamabad’s Tarlai area is an Afghan national affiliated with the banned Daesh group and has been arrested.

Speaking to the media after a high-level security meeting at Safe City Islamabad, chaired by him, Naqvi said the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had arrested the mastermind along with all facilitators involved in the attack.

A suicide bomber struck during Friday prayers at a mosque in Tarlai, killing at least 32 worshippers and injuring more than 169 others.

Naqvi said the planning and training for the attack were carried out in Afghanistan, adding that at least 21 international terrorist organisations were currently operating from Afghan territory. He said CTD-led raids were conducted in multiple locations, including Peshawar and Nowshera, during which four facilitators were arrested.

He added that a police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) was martyred and several others were injured during the operations.

“The mastermind of the attack is linked to the banned Daesh organisation,” Naqvi said, adding that all individuals connected to the incident had now been taken into custody.

The interior minister said India was funding terrorist elements, alleging that financing was being provided in dollars. He said India could not defeat Pakistan through conventional means and had therefore resorted to using proxies.

Naqvi stressed the need for effective community intelligence, saying public cooperation was essential to counter terrorism.

“We are in a state of war, and the support of the people is crucial to reduce terrorism,” he said.

He said Pakistan’s security agencies were successfully thwarting terrorist plans, adding that none of the attackers involved in recent incidents in Balochistan had escaped. He claimed that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Afghan Taliban and banned Daesh were working together, warning that terrorism was becoming a regional threat.

Naqvi said India was pursuing such activities after losing past conflicts and urged that the issue be raised at all international forums. He alleged that Indian media routinely aired content linked to the terrorist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) following attacks in Pakistan.

“Our diplomats will inform the world about India’s involvement in terrorism,” he said.

“Regardless of how large India’s budget is, we will win this war as well,” Naqvi said, adding that Pakistan would also respond through diplomacy.