KHAR, Pakistan. An Afghan branch of Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that occurred in Pakistan on Sunday, resulting in the death of at least 54 people at a pro-Taliban party’s election rally. The attack, which took place in the northwestern town of Bajur, is considered one of the region’s worst acts of violence in recent years.
Islamic State in Khorasan Province made the claim through a statement posted on its Amaq website. According to the statement, the attacker detonated an explosive vest as part of the group’s ongoing campaign against what it deems as anti-Islamic forms of democracy.
The election rally was organized by the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, and officials have confirmed that the victims include at least five children. Nearly 200 people were wounded in the incident, as approximately 1,000 individuals had gathered in a tent near a market for the political event ahead of the fall elections.
Eyewitnesses reported that people were chanting religious slogans as party leaders arrived when the bomb exploded, causing devastation and panic among the attendees. The injured were swiftly taken to nearby hospitals by ambulances that rushed to the scene.
Initially, the Pakistani police considered the Islamic State in Khorasan Province as a prime suspect. The group, based in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, has been at odds with the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida. However, breakaway factions of the Pakistani Taliban were also investigated as possible suspects, though they distanced themselves from the attack.
The district of Bajur had previously been cleared of militants by the Pakistani military in 2016 after years of conflict with the Pakistani Taliban. Despite this, the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, led by hard-line cleric and politician Fazlur Rehman, has maintained significant political influence.
Mourners in Bajur held funeral processions for the victims, observing local customs as they laid their loved ones to rest. As condolences poured in from across the country, critically injured individuals were airlifted to the provincial capital of Peshawar for treatment.
In response to the attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached out to Fazlur Rehman, expressing his condolences and promising punishment for those responsible. The U.S. and Russian embassies in Islamabad also condemned the bombing.
The bombing incident occurred just hours before Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng arrived in Islamabad to commemorate a decade of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which saw China invest $10 billion in Pakistan over ten years. Despite the attack, Prime Minister Sharif emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to its friendship with China.
Fazlur Rehman, who has been a vocal supporter of Afghanistan’s Taliban government, has survived previous bomb attacks in 2011 and 2014 during his rallies.
The tragic bombing has deepened concerns about security in the region as Pakistan prepares for upcoming elections, which are expected to take place in October or November.
