According to the authorities, the officers stopped a suspicious taxi for a routine check near a clinic in Islamabad when the blast occurred.
In total, 6 people were injured in the blast, including two civilians. One policeman died.
“A suicide bomber aboard the vehicle detonated himself soon after the car stopped near the officers,” Islamabad police said in a tweet.
The area was cordoned off by law enforcement, and the injured officers were transported to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment.
Meanwhile, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)* has claimed the responsibility for the attack.
On Thursday, Islamabad police checked 2,024 suspicious individuals, motorcycles, and vehicles as part of enhanced security measures. The country has seen an uptick in terrorist activities recently, namely in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Last month, TTP announced the suspension of the ceasefire with the Pakistani government and instructed the group's fighters to carry out attacks all over the country. The group, also known as the Pakistani Taliban**, opposes the governments of both India and Pakistan, seeking control over parts of their territory. Its official goal is to establish ‘Sharia’ (Islamic law) in Pakistan.
*banned in Russia
** under UN sanctions