44 killed, 150 injured in suicide blast in JUI’s Bajaur rally

At least 44 people were killed and more than 150 people injured in a suicide blast in the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) rally in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), reported 24News HD TV channel on Sunday.

KP Health Minister Riaz Anwar told AFP late Sunday that 44 people had been confirmed killed and over 100 wounded.

"It was a suicide attack, with the bomber detonating himself in close proximity to the stage," the minister said.

Bomb blast could be a suicide attack: IG Police

Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Akhtar Hayat Khan said the JUI rally blast in Bajaur could be a suicide attack.

He said that the blast killed dozens of people including Tehsil Khar’s Ameer Maulana Ziaullah Jan and Tehsil Navagi's General Secretary Maulana Hameedullah Haqqani of JUI.

Rescue 1122 confirms 41 causalities

On the other hand, the Rescue 1122 spokesperson confirmed 41 deaths and more than 150 injured in the blast.

The channel sources said the bomb blast took place near the stage at the JUI's public gathering in Khar, the headquarters of the Baujar district.

In the blast, JUI Tehsil Khar's Ameer Maulana Ziaullah Jan and Tehsil Navagi's General Secretary Maulana Hameedullah Haqqani were martyred along with other workers in the Bajaur bomb blast.

The injured were shifted to the hospital in Peshawar for medical treatment. Pak army also provided a helicopter to shift the injured people to the hospital from Bajaur.

Witnesses’ statements

According to the witnesses, the bomb explosion occurred just before starting the public meeting of the JUI rally.

Former MNA Jamaluddin and former senator Abdul Rasheed were present at the JUI's rally in Bajaur.

The sources said Jamaluddin remained safe in the blast. An emergency has been declared in the CMH, Hayatabad Hospital and Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.

The police cordoned off the area and started investigations. Frontier Constabulary's IG Major General Noor Wali also reached the Bajaur district.

AFP reported the blast targeted the JUI-F party -- a government coalition partner led by an influential firebrand cleric -- as hundreds of supporters congregated under a canopy in the town of Khar, near the Afghan border.

"The tent had collapsed on one side, trapping people who were desperately attempting to escape," said Abdullah Khan, who tried to help the victims.

"There was utter confusion, with human flesh, limbs, and body parts scattered throughout the area, alongside lifeless bodies."

Sabeeh Ullah, a 24-year-old party supporter who had his arm fractured by the blast, said the scale of injuries was horrifying.

"I found myself lying next to someone who had lost their limbs. The air was filled with the smell of human flesh," he told AFP by phone.

Images from the blast site circulating on social media showed bodies strewn around the scene, and volunteers helping blood-soaked victims to ambulances.

Army provides Air Ambulance

ISPR has given the facility of an ambulance helicopter for the injured which is taking them from Khar to Peshawar.

The ISPR officials said that the security forces are carrying out a rescue operation.

The area has been cordoned off and an investigation has been launched, they added.

Rescue 1122 to shift dead bodies to their native areas

The spokesperson of the Rescue 1122 confirmed to the 24News HD TV channel that the total number of martyrs has reached 41 as one of the injured was martyred in Timergara Hospital while 8 unknown martyrs have been identified.

The spokesperson also said that Rescue 1122 will shift the dead bodies of martyrs to their native areas.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman condemns blast

Maulana Fazlur Rehman condemned the suicide attack on JUI's rally and made telephonic contact with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to provide chopper service to shift injured workers to hospitals.

According to the 24News HD TV channel, JUI Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman made short his foreign trip and he will return to Pakistan tonight. 

JUI's Secretary General's statement

JUI Secretary General Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari strongly condemned the explosion in the rally and said the situation in the country is being worsened under a well-thought-out plan.

The senator said JUI is a peaceful party and they have always followed the path of peaceful political struggle.

He further said that he was shocked by the news of martyred workers in the explosion as the party workers are their valuable ideological asset.

President, PM, PPP's Asif Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto's condemnation

President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and former President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the bomb blast at the JUI's rally.

The PM expressed his grief to JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and prayed for the victims of the blast.

He directed authorities to provide the best medical facilities to the injured and directed a complete investigation of the incident and identification of those responsible.

In a condolence message, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and his father Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep grief and sorrow to the families of the martyred people.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condoled the victims' families and prayed for the early recovery of the injured people.

Bilawal said there is a need to take action against the planners of terrorism in the country.

Caretaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan condemned the Bajaur blast and sought a detailed report of the incident from the police authorities.

Former President Asif Ali Zardari expressed condolence to Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the martyrdom of the workers of JUI and said terrorists are enemy of everyone.

PPPP President Asif Ali Zardari said the entire country needs to be cleansed from the nurseries of terrorism like the Swat operation in the recent past.

JUI Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman visits hospital in Timergara

JUI's Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman reached the hospital in Timergara to inquire about the health of the injured persons in the Bajaur blast.

According to the 24News HD TV channel, the Senator reviewed the arrangements in Timergara.

Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman talking to media said he reached Timergara Hospital to visit his injured brothers.

He said instructions have been given to the hospital administration and staff for immediate and better treatment of the injured persons.

He said the injured persons whose condition is critical are being immediately referred to hospitals in Peshawar.

He said he will personally monitor the injured workers of the PTI until their recovery.

Afghan govt condemns attack

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the attack in a statement, adding Kabul "shares its deepest condolences with the affected families.

Political aspect of suicide blast

AFP said the blast targeted the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) party -- a government coalition partner led by an influential firebrand cleric.

Pakistan's national assembly is due to dissolve in the next few weeks ahead of elections expected in October or November, and political parties are already preparing to campaign.

The blast coincides with a visit to the country by a senior delegation of Chinese officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng, who arrived in the capital Sunday evening.

- Local Islamic State active -

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the local chapter of the Islamic State (IS) group has recently carried out attacks against JUI-F.

Last year, IS said it was behind violent attacks against religious scholars affiliated with the party, which has a huge network of mosques and madrassas in the north and west of the country.

The jihadist group accuses JUI-F of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group while supporting hostile governments and the military.

The party's leader, cleric Fazlur Rehman, started political life as a firebrand Islamist hardliner but has softened his public image over the years in a bid to forge alliances with secular parties on the left and right of the spectrum.

With the ability to mobilise tens of thousands of madrassa students, his party never musters enough support for power on its own, but is usually a key player in any coalition.

Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban surged back to power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistan's home-grown Taliban group,  Tehreek–e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has largely directed its campaign against security officials, including police officers.

In January, a suicide bomber linked to Pakistan's Taliban blew himself up in a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing more than 80 officers.

The militant assaults have been focused in regions abutting Afghanistan, and Islamabad alleges some are being planned on Afghan soil -- a charge Kabul denies.

Pakistan was once plagued by almost daily bombings, but a major military clearance operation in the former tribal areas starting in 2014 largely restored order.

The seven remote districts that border Afghanistan, of which Bajaur is one, were later brought under the control of Pakistani authorities after the passage of legislation in 2018.

Analysts say militants in the former tribal areas have become emboldened since the return of the Afghan Taliban.

One security analyst suggested Sunday's attack was more likely linked to the election rather than having a sectarian motive.

"This is part of terrorism violence that seems to be ramping up in Pakistan ahead of elections to create a sense of instability that could eventually lead to a delay in the elections," said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies.

Reporters: Shahid Jan, Amir Shehzad, Sajid Baloch