At least 40 people were killed and more than 150 were injured in a suicide blast at a rally of an Islamic party in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, Reuters has reported citing local broadcaster Geo News.
As per reports, the explosion took place at 4 pm at the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) workers’ convention in Khar, the capital of Bajaur tribal district, where more than 400 party members were present.
The provincial police chief Akhtar Hayat told Reuters the explosion was caused by a suicide bomb.
A police official said the toll could rise further as many have been taken to the hospital in critical condition. Serious wounded people were being airlifted to the provincial capital, Peshawar, for better medical care, said an official.
Maulana Ziaullah, the local chief of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s party, has been killed in the blast.
Party officials said that party supremo Rehman was not present at the rally. 70-year-old Rehman is considered to be a pro-Taliban cleric and his political party is part of the ruling coalition government.
