Pakistan: Death toll rises to 54 in suicide blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The death toll from the powerful suicide bombing at a political convention of a hardline Islamist party in Pakistans restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province sharply rose to 54 on Monday police said as they intensified efforts to hunt down those behind the massive attackPolice also said that an initial probe has suggested that the banned terrorist group ISIS is behind the suicide attack that injured over 100 people in Khar the capital of Bajaur tribal districtThe local branch of ISIS has previously targeted JUIF party leaders as they consider them apostates The attack took place on Sunday when more than 400 members of the conservative Jamiat Ulema IslamFazl JUIF party known for its links to hardline political Islam had gathered for a meeting under a large tent in the town of Khar which borders AfghanistanThe JUIF is a party that is part of the coalition government led by Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz PMLN The major terror attack occurred as Pakistani political parties are beginning campaign preparations ahead of elections in the coming monthsPakistan President Arif Alvi prayed for eternal peace for the departed souls He also wished speedy recovery for the injured and emphasised timely medical assistance to them In a statement issued on Sunday Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan sought a detailed report on the blast from policeHe also visited the Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar where he met and inquired about the health of injured persons Rahim Shah a witness told Dawncom that more than 500 people were attending the convention when the blast occurredWe were listening to a bayan sermon when a powerful explosion knocked me unconscious he said Shah narrated that when he regained consciousness there was blood everywhere People were screaming and even shots were fired he addedSabeehullah a 24yearold JUIF supporter who had his arm fractured by the blast said the scale of injuries was horrifyingThere was utter confusion with human flesh limbs and body parts scattered throughout the area alongside lifeless bodies I found myself lying next to someone who had lost their limbs The air was filled with the smell of human flesh he was quoted as saying in the reportThe JUIF chief in a statement issued by the partys media cell expressed grief over the incident He sought an inquiry into the attack from Prime Minister Sharif and the KP governmentMay Allah raise the ranks of martyrs Fazl said and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured He also appealed to JUIF workers to immediately reach hospitals and provide blood donationsIn a tweet Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah vowed to bring the perpetrators of todays attack to justice The cowardly acts of terrorists cannot dampen our spirits he saidFormer prime minister Imran Khan said he was saddened to learn about the blast and extended condolences to the victims families The rise in terror incidents across Pakistan particularly in KP calls for an urgent need to reconsider our priorities he said adding that the authorities should focus on eliminating terrorismZabihullah Mujahid a spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan has condemned the attack TTP spokesman Khalid Khurrasani also condemned the blast Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks following the Talibans return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021On January 30 a Pakistan Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers in a mosque in Peshawar killing 101 people and injuring more than 200 others In February heavily armed TTP militants stormed the Karachi Police chiefs office in Pakistans most populous city sparking gunfire that killed three rebels and four others including two police constablesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever