Pakistan has been witnessing an escalation of attacks by Islamist militants since last year, the latest of which was a suicide bombing targeting a political gathering of a militant party and speculation about the involvement of "Daesh" in the incident .

 

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Edited by| Hugh Gey

 

Asia  section -  CJ journalist

 

Islamabad –July,30,2023

 

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At least 40 people were killed and more than 130 injured in an explosion during a political rally in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistani police said today .

She added that there is no confirmation yet of the cause of the explosion that occurred at a gathering of the Association of Islamic scholars party, known for its links to militant political Islam in the Bajur region, but the police chief confirmed that the explosion was a suicide bomber.

"The association organized a workers' rally in Bajaur in which 40 people were killed and more than 130 injured,"said policeman Nazir Khan. A state of emergency was declared in hospitals in Bajaur and nearby areas, where most of the injured were taken, he added.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the attack, saying in a statement that Kabul "offers its sincere condolences to the families" of the victims and the injured.

Pakistan has been witnessing an escalation of attacks by militants since last year, when a ceasefire between the "Pakistani Taliban" and Islamabad collapsed.

But most of the recent attacks have targeted security forces and facilities, not political gatherings.

The Pakistani "Taliban" is loyal to its Afghan counterpart, but is not part of it.

The security forces say that the Pakistani "Taliban" have safe havens in Afghanistan, which the government denies there.

The party of the Association of "Islamic scholars", one of the partners in the government coalition and led by an influential cleric, more than 400 members and supporters of the party were gathering under a tent when the attack occurred in the town of Khar near the border with Afghanistan.

"I can confirm that there are 39 dead bodies in the hospital, in addition to 123 injured, including 17 in serious condition,"said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Riaz Anwar.

"It was a suicide attack . The attacker blew himself up at a close distance from the platform,"he said.

Scenes from the scene of the explosion posted on social media showed bodies lying around the blast site, while volunteers were helping to transfer the bloodied injured to ambulances.

Pakistan's National Assembly is expected to be dissolved in the coming weeks ahead of elections in October or November, as political parties prepare to campaign.

The explosion coincided with the upcoming visit of a high-ranking Chinese delegation, including Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is expected to arrive in the capital on Sunday evening.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the local branch of the "ISIS" organization recently launched attacks targeting the Association of "Islamic scholars".

Last year, the group claimed responsibility for violent attacks targeting clerics linked to the group, which has a very large network of mosques and religious schools in the North and west of the country.

The organization accuses the Association of" Islamic scholars " of hypocrisy for being an Islamic religious group that has supported successive governments and the army.

The party's leader, Fazlur Rahman, began his political career as a hardline cleric, but worked to soften his public image over the following years in an effort to conclude alliances with secular parties from across the spectrum.

With the ability to mobilize tens of thousands of religious schoolchildren, his party (the Association of "Islamic scholars") does not gather enough support to take power on its own, but it is usually a key player in any government.

Pakistan has been witnessing a significant increase in the number of attacks since the return of the "Taliban" to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.

The Pakistani "Taliban" group has directed its campaign against security officials, including police officers.

In January, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing more than 80 policemen.

The militants ' attacks were concentrated in areas bordering Afghanistan. Islamabad says some of them are planned on Afghan soil, which Kabul denies.

Pakistan has previously witnessed almost daily bombings, but a military purge launched by the army in 2014 has largely managed to establish order.

Pakistani authorities have taken control of seven remote provinces bordering Pakistan, Bajaur being one of them, following the passage of legislation in 2018.

Analysts say that the militants in the former tribal areas adjacent to Peshawar and bordering Afghanistan, have become bolder since the return of the "Taliban" to power.

 

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