Media reports, citing Pakistani officials, say an attack on Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam gathering in northwestern Bajaur district killed at least 44 people and wounded nearly 200 others.
Al Jazeera reports that a suicide bomber has detonated explosives at a political rally in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 44 people and wounding nearly 200.
The blast reportedly took place on Sunday at a gathering of the conservative Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party on the outskirts of Khar in Pakistan’s northwestern Bajaur district, which borders Afghanistan.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
However, provincial police reportedly said in a statement that the suicide bomber set off his explosives vest close to the stage where several senior party leaders were sitting. It said initial investigations suggested the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group could be behind the attack and officers were still investigating.
The armed group has been active in neighboring Afghanistan after the fall of President Ashraf Ghani’s government. The group opposes Afghanistan’s Taliban administration and has members known to cross the porous mountainous border and hide in the Peshawar area.
