Assassination of Shuja Khanzada

On Sunday, 16 August 2015, Punjab Interior Minister Shuja Khanzada, aged 71, was killed along with 18 other people when two suspected suicide bombers detonated explosives at his political office in the village of Shadi Khan, Attock District, roughly 80 km (50 mi) from Islamabad. At least 17 additional people were injured and hospitalised. Khanzada had been meeting with relatives and friends at his home office to condole the death of a relative who had died in the United Kingdom when the attack occurred.

According to the initial investigation, the two attackers were carrying a combined 15 kg (33 lb) of explosives, and their apparent intent was to cause the building to collapse. The first bomber reportedly entered Khanzada's home office, shook his hand, and detonated his device while standing next to a pillar on the veranda. A second bomber, believed to have been standing in the street next to the building, then detonated his own explosives, causing the building to collapse; the falling roof trapped people under rubble.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a Deobandi militant group with ties to Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack. A preliminary investigation suggested the bombing may have been retaliation for the killing of LeJ militant leader Malik Ishaq by the Punjab Police. A later investigation conducted by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab Police together with Inter-Services Intelligence determined that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan was also involved.

On 1 October 2015, the CTD raided a house in Iqbal Town, Lahore, killing four people suspected of involvement in the bombing. In September 2015, a suspect named Qasim Muavia was arrested. In August 2017, two years after his arrest, the Punjab government transferred his trial to a military court, stating that the civilian court process was taking too long. An additional suspect was arrested in March 2016, and in October 2017, another suspect was killed during a confrontation with police.

The attack drew strong condemnation within Pakistan, including from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Shareef. Internationally, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack and called for justice against those who planned it. The United States also condemned the bombing; the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad issued a statement offering assistance to Pakistani authorities investigating the attack, saying it supported Pakistan's determination to bring those responsible to justice.