IS-K claims Bajaur carnage as toll soars to 54

Police say nearly half of the victims aged under 18

PESHAWAR:

The death toll from a suicide blast which targeted a political gathering in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district has risen to 54, with almost half of the victims children, police said Monday.

"The death toll has now reached 54," K-P Counter Terrorism Department Additional Inspector General of Police Shaukat Abbas said, adding that 23 victims were under the age of 18. Anwarul Haq, the deputy commissioner for the district, confirmed the toll.

The blast occurred in Khar tehsil of the district, a town bordering Afghanistan. According to eyewitnesses, hundreds of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl workers along with local leader were present at the convention when the suicide blast ripped through it.

The Islamic State-Khorasan claimed the deadly suicide bombing.

AIG Abbas said of the total deceased, 46 had been identified.

“We have collected ball bearings from the site of the blast,” he said. “The suspects have been almost tracked down in the initial action taken so far.”

He said that a forensic report pertaining to the attack was awaited.

Sources at the Khar hospital said that 90 people were brought in, adding that 36 bodies had been handed over to the heirs after identification.

Further, the K-P CTD lodged an FIR on the complaint of Station House Officer Kharniaz Muhammad against unidentified suspects on the charges of terrorism, murder, attempted murder and others.

The FIR stated that a “suicide attack” ripped through the JUI-F gathering at around 4:10pm on Sunday, claiming the lives of party’s Khar General Secretary Maulana Ziaullah Jan and others.

The police said investigators had already visited the crime site and gathered evidence to advance with the ongoing probe.

They said more than 10 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the attack, adding that the process of geo-fencing at the blast site had also been completed.

PM meets Fazl

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and condoled with him over the loss of lives of his party workers in the explosion.

The prime minister said the whole nation was in grief due to the tragic incident as the attack on the JUI-F was an aggression against democracy.

He prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed souls in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved families to bear the loss with fortitude.

He said he had ordered the provision of the best medical treatment to the injured, assuring that those who were involved in the incident would be identified and given exemplary punishment.

Federal ministers Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Ishaq Dar, Maulana Asad Mehmood, Khurram Dastgir and Israr Tareen, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and National Assembly member Abdul Akbar Chitrali were also present in the meeting.

Separately, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal visited the residence of Maulana Fazl and condoled with him over the loss of precious lives in the suicide blast at the JUI workers convention in Bajaur.

Bilawal also expressed regret to Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari, Maulana Ataur Rehman, Maulana Asad Mahmood and Zahid Akram Durrani over the loss of innocent lives in the terrorist incident.

Along with Chairman Bilawal, Sindh Chief Minister Murad also expressed regret over the explosion at the convention in Khar tehsil of Bajaur.

Bilawal recited Fatiha for those who died in the Bajaur tragedy and prayed for the patience of the bereaved.

“I can feel the grief of the families of JUI workers, students, and citizens who were martyred in the Bajaur tragedy,” Bilawal said. “The PPP is an equal participant in the grief of the workers and sympathisers of JUI.

The Bajaur tragedy is a failed attempt to disrupt the law and order situation in the country.”

Corps commander visits hospital

Meanwhile, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Hassan Azhar Hayat visited the Khar District Headquarters Hospital to inquire after the injured persons.

During his visit, the corps commander directed the hospital administration to ensure that all victims received the best possible medical treatment.

Gen Hassan also met with the family members of those who were injured and killed in the blast, extending his condolences over the incident.

Condolences

The suicide attack drew strong condemnations from across the Muslim world.

The leadership of the Muslim nations as well as the heads of the Muslim world bodies condemned the heinous crime and sympathised with the bereaved families.

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha in a statement condemned the explosion in the strongest terms.

He offered his sincere condolences to the victims’ families and to the government and people of Pakistan wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

The secretary-general reaffirmed the OIC’s solidarity with Pakistan in its efforts to combat extremism and terrorism.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry denounced the attack and reaffirmed the kingdom’s rejection of violence and terrorism anywhere in the world, expressing that the kingdom stood in full solidarity with Pakistan and its people.

The ministry offered condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, the government, and the people of Pakistan, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Arab States of the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jassim Muhammad Al-Budaiwi also condemned the bombing, saying that the position of the Cooperation Council was firm.

He said the council rejected all forms of violence, extremism, and terrorism, which aimed to destabilise security and stability and were inconsistent with human values and principles.

Similarly, in a statement, the UAE foreign ministry also strongly condemned the terrorist attack, reiterating its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of human values and principles.

The UAE ministry also expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the Pakistani government and people.
Qatar also expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the explosion.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar’s firm position on rejecting violence and terrorism, regardless of the motives and reasons.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kan’ani, strongly condemned the attack and offered condolences on behalf of the government and the people of Iran to the government and people of Pakistan.

Besides Kuwait, Egypt also condemned the bombing, renewing its firm stance toward its categorical rejection of all forms of violence.

“Egypt, government and people, expressed their sincere condolences and sympathy to the government and people of brotherly Pakistan in this painful affliction, and to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery for all the injured,” the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

*With input from agencies