PAKISTAN : On Sunday, a blast occurred during a political party meeting in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing 35 people and injuring over 200, as reported by Dawn. The meeting was held in Khar, the capital of Bajaur tribal district, and was organised by Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
Initial reports indicated it might have been a suicide blast, though authorities are currently investigating the nature of the explosion. The police have cordoned off the area for further examination.
Television footage captured ambulances transporting the injured to hospitals, with most of them reported to be in critical condition.
Maulana Ziaullah Jan, a prominent JUI-F leader in Khar, was among the casualties, as confirmed by Bajaur District Emergency Officer Saad Khan to Pakistan’s Dawn. The injured individuals are being moved to nearby hospitals in Peshawar and Timergera.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of JUI-F, called for a thorough investigation into the incident by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the province’s caretaker Chief Minister, Azam Khan. Additionally, he appealed to party workers to visit the hospital and donate blood.
“JUI workers should remain peaceful, and the federal and provincial governments should provide the best treatment to the injured,” Fazl said.
Chief Minister Azam Khan denounced the explosion and requested a report from the district administration. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali, who is also a central member of the JUI-F, confirmed the death toll.
Following the incident, during an interview with Geo News, JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah mentioned that he had missed the meeting due to prior commitments, despite being invited.
The JUI-F leader was cited as stating, “I strongly condemn the blast and want to give a message to the people behind it that this is not jihad but terrorism,” as he dubbed the incident “an attack on humanity and Bajaur”.
In the wake of the recent attack on his party, JUI-F, which is not the first such incident, he called for a thorough investigation. “This has happened before; our workers have been targeted. We raised our voice over this in Parliament, but no action was taken,” he said to Geo News.
Furthermore, numerous leaders from various regions of Pakistan have strongly denounced the attack and extended their condolences to the grieving families of the deceased.
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