In a bustling Delhi neighborhood, forensics teams combed through the charred skeleton of a car. Less than 24 hours later, the air outside Islamabad’s judicial complex was thick with the aftermath of a suicide bomb.

The two deadly attacks are separate, and no evidence currently links the two. But for the two South Asian rivals, the political shockwave caused by the blasts are a stark reminder of the lingering security issues that fester below the surface throughout the region.

Explosions in their heavily fortified capitals are a rarity, and two in as many days have put officials in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan on edge, potentially reigniting a cycle of suspicion and blame after what has already been a tense year for all countries.

A suicide bombing in Islamabad on Tuesday killed at least 12 people and injured 20 more, marking the deadliest such attack to strike the Pakistani capital in nearly two decades. It came just a day after a rare car explosion tore through a historic Delhi neighborhood, killing at least 10 and leaving more than a dozen wounded.

Police officers stand on a cordoned road, a day after a blast outside the district court building, in Islamabad, Pakistan, November 12, 2025. Akhtar Soomro/Reuters

The twin tragedies have handed political hardliners in both New Delhi and Islamabad a potent weapon, ratcheting up domestic pressure on each government to act decisively.

The blame game ignited almost immediately.