Khar: At least 44 people lost their lives, and nearly 200 others were injured after a suicide bomber triggered explosives during a political rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday.
The blast occurred at a gathering of the conservative Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party on the outskirts of Khar in the Bajaur district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.
The attack resulted in a state of emergency being declared in Bajaur's hospitals and surrounding areas, where most of the injured were taken.
As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, leaving authorities to conduct investigations. Initial reports suggest that the ISIL (ISIS) group might be involved, with a focus on the group's cross-border activities between Afghanistan and Pakistan's Peshawar region.
The rescue operation is still underway, with military helicopters transporting critically wounded victims from Bajaur to hospitals in the provincial capital, Peshawar.
Notably, senior party leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman was not present at the event when the explosion occurred.
Provincial police said in a statement that the suicide bomber set off his explosives vest close to the stage where several senior party leaders were sitting.
The armed group has been active in neighbouring Afghanistan after the fall of President Ashraf Ghani. It opposes Afghanistan’s Taliban administration and has members known to cross the porous mountainous border and hide in the Peshawar area.
JUI-F is part of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance, a political coalition affiliated with the government in which Rehman plays a leading role.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident and extended his condolences to the families of the victims, including that of JUI-F leader Ziaullah Jan, who was confirmed killed in the attack, Radio Pakistan reported.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari “expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives”, his Pakistan Peoples Party said in a statement.
Interior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb wrote on social media that the “religion of terrorists is only terrorism”. “Ending terrorism is very important for the survival and integrity of Pakistan,” she wrote.
This attack marks one of the gravest incidents in northwestern Pakistan since 2014 when 147 individuals, primarily schoolchildren, were killed in a Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar.
In January, 74 people were killed in a bombing at a mosque in Peshawar. In February, more than 100 people, mostly policemen, died in a bombing at a mosque inside a high-security compound housing Peshawar police headquarters.
The armed group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as the Pakistan Taliban and linked to the Taliban in Afghanistan, distanced itself from Sunday’s attack, which its spokesman condemned.