Deadly bomb blast in Pakistan kills at least 43, Pak PM calls it attack against country’s democratic system

A deadly bomb blast reported at a Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) convention in the Khar tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Sunday claimed the lives of at least 43 people and wounded over 200 others.

The district emergency officer told Geo News that a local JUI-F leader was also among the ones killed in the blast.

The official confirmed the name of the deceased JUI-F’s Tehsil Khar’s Amir Ziaullah Jan.

As per local media reports, the explosion occurred at a place inside the convention and law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the area.

While speaking to Geo News, JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah said that he was also supposed to attend the convention but could not do so because of some personal commitments.

“I strongly condemn the blast and want to give a message to the people behind it that this is not jihad but terrorism,” said the JUI-F  leader, adding that the incident was an attack on humanity and Bajaur, Dawn reported.

Riaz Anwar, the health minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said that at least 17 people who had sustained injuries in the explosion were in serious condition.

“I can confirm that in the hospital we have 39 dead bodies, with 123 wounded that includes 17 patients in a serious condition,” he told news agency AFP.

“It was a suicide attack, with the bomber detonating himself in close proximity to the stage,” he added.

‘Tent collapsed and trapped people trying to escape, recalls survivor 

“The tent had collapsed on one side, trapping people who were desperately attempting to escape,” AFP quoted Abdullah Khan, who tried to help the victims, as saying.

“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 whose arm got fractured in the incident, said the scale of injuries was frightening.

“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.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the deadly bomb blast, but as per local media reports, the local chapter of the Islamic State (IS) group has carried out attacks against JUI-F in the recent past.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemns attack

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif released a statement, strongly condemning the attack targeted at the JUI-F convention saying that the terrorists aimed at the ones who advocated the cause of Islam, the Holy Quran and Pakistan.

“Terrorists are enemies of Pakistan and they will be eliminated,” he claimed in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, adding that elements involved in the incident would be meted out strict punishment.

Later he took to Twitter, which is now rebranded as X, and said that the enemies who were attacking the political parties showed they were against Pakistan’s democratic system.

“The attack on the workers’ convention of Jamiat-e-Ulama-i-Islam (F) in Bajaur, Khar is less to blame. It is clear from the attack on political parties that the enemy is against the democratic system in Pakistan, which will definitely not be allowed. Those responsible will be identified and punished. The Pakistani nation, law enforcement agencies and our protectors will never allow such cowardly tactics of the enemy to succeed. The entire nation, including me, is an equal participant in the grief of the families of those who were martyred in the incident,” he added.

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

(With inputs from the agencies)

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