'Is it official? Have they accepted?' Pakistan's Khawaja Asif caught off-guard as journalist gives him update on Islamabad blast

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif (File)

Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif was caught off guard on Tuesday when a journalist pointed out that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing in Islamabad as he was accusing Kabul and India of aiding recent terror strikes.

Speaking to reporters, Asif said that by attacking Islamabad, Afghanistan has increased the "temperature of war" and warned that a war with Kabul "could definitely happen".

In the same breath, he also accused New Delhi of pulling the strings as he continued his anti-Kabul rhetoric. However, Asif was seemingly unaware that the TTP had claimed responsibility for the attack at the time.

When a journalist mentioned that the TTP had claimed responsibility for the Islamabad blast, he seemed surprised and replied: “Is it?”

“By attacking Islamabad, Afghanistan has increased the temperature of war.” : Khawaja Asif

When a journalist mentioned that the TTP had claimed responsibility for the Islamabad blast, he seemed genuinely surprised and replied, “Is it?”

Yes, he is the Defence Minister of… pic.twitter.com/2DHImK8wq1

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"Have they accepted it? Have they officially done it. Then there is no room for doubt. TTP is an extension of the rulers sitting in Kabul ..." Asif said.

The reaction invited trolling online, with people calling out the Pakistani defence minister for being unaware of the latest developments.

"Yes, he is the Defence Minister of Pakistan and learns about the major terror attack from a journalist ??" one user said.

The Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility for the attack that took place outside the district court building in Islamabad on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people.

Earlier, in interview to GeoTV, Asif said that all the terrorists had come from Afghanistan and their formations have penetrated into Pakistan over many months.

"They've been slowly stationing these groups here for the past year; they've sent around 2,500-3,000 people in the past year, and they're present in various areas... Around 55 per cent of terrorists killed were Afghans," he said.

He also accused India of pulling the string.

"Some are linked with India, and some have their strings being pulled from elsewhere, so both of these incidents, I think, are a prelude to a coming aggression that could happen from the Afghan side, actually, it will be Indian aggression that is being waged in our country through the route of Afghanistan," he said.

He warned India and Afghanistan against any misadventure, saying Pakistan would “pay back in the same coin.”