Pakistan suicide bombing death toll rises to 54

Security personnel examine the site of the blast. Pic/AP

The death toll from a massive suicide bombing that targeted an election rally for a pro-Taliban cleric rose to 54 on Monday, as Pakistan held funerals and the government vowed to hunt down those behind the attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday's bombing, which also wounded nearly 200 people. The police said their initial investigation suggested that the Islamic State group's regional affiliate could be responsible.

The victims were attending a rally organised by the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, headed by hard-line cleric and politician Fazlur Rehman. He did not attend the rally, held under a large tent close to a market in Bajur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. Rehman, who has long supported Afghanistan's Taliban government, escaped at least two known bomb attacks in 2011 and 2014, when bombings damaged his car at rallies.

Victims of the bombing were buried in Bajur on Monday. As condolences continued to pour in from across the country, dozens of people who received minor injuries were discharged from hospital while the critically wounded were taken to the provincial capital of Peshawar by army helicopters.

At least 1,000 people were gathered under a large tent Sunday as their party prepared for parliamentary elections, expected in October or November. "People were chanting God is Great on the arrival of senior leaders, when I heard the deafening sound of the bomb," said Khan Mohammad, a local resident who standing outside the tent. Mohammad said he heard people crying for help, and minutes later ambulances started arriving and taking the wounded away.

Abdul Rasheed, a senior leader in Rehman's party said the bombing was aimed at weakening the party but that "such attacks cannot deter our resolve".

Rehman's party is part of Sharif's coalition government, which came to power in April 2022 by ousting Imran Khan through a no-confidence vote. Sharif called Rehman to express his condolences and assure that those responsible would be punished. The bombing also drew nationwide condemnation, with ruling and opposition parties offering condolences. The US and Russian embassies in Islamabad also condemned the attack.

200
Approx No. of people wounded in the attack

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