A suicide bomber at a Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) convention caused a major explosion that killed at least 39 people and nearly 200 injured in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday.
A political convention was taking place when the bomb explosion was reported in the Khar tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to reports, a local JUI-F political leader was also killed in the bomb blast.
According to reports, the explosion occurred within the conference, and law authorities blocked the area. According to provincial police head Akhtar Hayat, a suicide bomber detonated the device at the political rally, killing 39 people and injuring close to 200 others, Reuters reported.
“The tent had collapsed on one side, trapping people who were desperately attempting to escape,” news agency AFP quoted Abdullah Khan, who tried to help the victims, as saying.
So far, no organization or individual has claimed responsibility for the blast at the political convention in the province.
Hospitals in Bajaur, the location of the bombing, and the surrounding areas had been placed on high alert. The caretaker information minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Firoz Shah Jamal, stated that they were attempting to transport critical patients to hospitals in Peshawar and other cities using helicopters.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the JUI-F, has called for an investigation into the incident that has taken 39 lives. “JUI workers should remain peaceful, and federal and provincial governments should provide the best treatment to the injured,” he said.
Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan denounced the explosion and asked the district administration for a report.
