44 Killed In Bomb Blast During Political Party Meeting In Pakistan

As many as 44 people were killed and dozens more wounded in a bomb blast at a political party meeting organized in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday. The meeting, organised by Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), was underway in Bajaur district.

Maulana Ziaullah Jan, a prominent leader of the JUI-F in Khar, also passed away in the blast, Bajaur District Emergency Officer Saad Khan told the Dawn.

He also confirmed the number of casualties, and informed that the injured persons are being shifted to nearby hospitals in Peshawar and Timergera, the official said.

Television footage of the site showed ambulances moving the injured to the hospitals. The area was later cordoned off by the police.

Speaking on Geo News after the incident, JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah said he had missed the convention because of some personal commitments, though he was invited. He said he has so far received the news of the demise of about 10-12 of his party workers, while several more are injured.

"I strongly condemn the blast and want to give a message to the people behind it that this is not jihad but terrorism," the JUI-F leader said, as he called the incident "an attack on humanity and Bajaur".

Recalling that this is not the first time that his party JUI-F has been attacked like this, he demanded a probe into the incident. "This has happened before, our workers have been targeted. We raised our voice over this in Parliament but no action was taken," he told Geo News.

Along with Hamdullah, several other leaders from across Pakistan have condemned the attack and offered their condolences for the bereaved families of the deceased.