At least 40 people were killed in an explosion at a political gathering in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, Geo News reported, citing local officials.
The report did not mention a possible cause for the blast that took place at a gathering of the conservative Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, known for its links to hardline political Islam, in the former tribal area of Bajaur.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, a first-responder service in the province, told Reuters that initial reports indicated 17 people had been killed, but more than 70 were injured and the death toll could rise.
Pakistan has experienced an increase in attacks by Islamist militants since last year when a ceasefire between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad was broken. The TTP pledges allegiance to, but is not a direct part of, Afghanistan’s Taliban.
Reporting by Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan; Nilutpal Timsina; Writing by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Christina Fincher
Credit: The Star : News Feed
