Former MPA Mufti Syed Janan escapes attack unhurt. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
HANGU: A blast during an election campaign of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) killed at least eleven people, while 35 others were injured in the area of Doaba Bazar in Hangu, Express News reported on Tuesday.
The members of the political party, including former MPA Mufti Syed Janan running for the PK-43 constituency were meeting with shopkeepers in the bazaar to campaign for the upcoming polls. Janan escaped the attack without any serious injuries.
Janan told AFP by telephone that he had received injuries to his head and shoulder.
"I was on my election campaign and coming to my vehicle when the bomber blew himself up. I received some injuries but survived. Two of my guards were seriously wounded," Janan said.
Authorities said it was a suicide attack but presented different accounts over whether the bomber had been on foot or riding a motorcycle.
"He blew himself up near the vehicle of (parliamentary candidate) Syed Janan. He was injured but he is safe," Abdul Hameed Khan, a senior government official in Hangu said.
Security was tightened around the blast site, and a curfew was imposed in the area.
Rescue teams reached the blast site and the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.
Tuesday's bombing raises to 97 the number of people killed in attacks on politicians and political parties since April 11, according to an AFP tally.
Background
Attacks on the political party have increased with a deadly attack on another JUI-F rally earlier on Monday afternoon. The blast left 25 people dead and over 50 injured in the Sewak area of Kurram Agency.
The bomb was planted inside the building that was the venue for the rally of two national assembly candidates representing the JUI faction led by cleric Fazulur Rehman.
Another JUI-F candidate Haji Mohammad Hashim Shahwani escaped an assassination attempt, on April 26, when his convoy was attacked by a remote-controlled bomb in the Mach district of Kachi in Balochistan.
Earlier on Thursday, Maulana Fazlur Rehman appealed to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) not to carry out attacks on candidates from political parties including the Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
Violence increased in the northwest as Pakistan prepares to hold a general election and provincial elections on May 11, which will mark the country’s first democratic transition of power.
Meanwhile elections have been postponed in three constituencies where candidates have been killed. Those constituencies are in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, in Pakistan's biggest city of Karachi and in southern Hyderabad.
COMMENTS (14)
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It is sickening to see many of the comments are against the victims and not to sympathize with the victims of terror. On one hand the innocent are willfully and deliberately targeted by the terrorists and on the other they have allowed a couple of parties to walkover the election victories. On one hand reading so much hateful comments against the victim parties and gloating of the Taliban friendly parties there is so much sympathy and sadness when IK takes a fall all by his own mistake! Nobody is condoning the accidents but let us not celebrate the victimization and winning the elections on the backs of Taliban.
@Mahnoor: There's another way to look at it. It's a shame that parties like JUI-F have wronged people so much that they don't even care about its members and supporters dying during such attacks. Compare this to Imran Khan just falling down and the plethora of prayers for his speedy recovery from the whole nation everywhere on social media. That's how much Allah has blessed Khan with!
@Mahnoor: You are right.
Just because people who died belong to a religious party, the condemnation is so muted by ET commenters. No comparison to what we see if MQM or PPP is targetted.
TTP are against the state and would target anyone seen by them as collaborating with Government or any governmental process like election. Their wrath is stronger against PPP, MQM and ANP mainly because these were in the government for the last 5 years, however it doesnt mean that TTP would be in favor of any other party who is participating in the election process.
With my unreserved condemnation of attack on JUI-F rally, I do hope that they have now realised that how insensitive they and other right wing parties were when they attributed violence against secular parties as a reaction of their poor performance. No matter whatever you try, unless people of Pakistan make sanctity of human life as their utmost priority, violence will never stop appear its ugly head. Peace, respect and tolerate.
Maulana you dont appeal to terrorists you warn them and threaten them. It shows you are scared.
and pakistan is still a safe country. know your real enemy and act now.
@Mj
This is our war but we need to handle it our way, not from dictations from US! Tell me how the families feel when their houses are blown away by drones and they even don't find a whole body to bury !
Election Commission And the Caretaker Government are still making tall claims of holding peaceful and trans,apparent elections.
Still not our war? How many more deaths would it take for taliban apologists to see the writing on the wall?
Taliban have now started attacking the political party which went overboard to support their criminal acts despite criticism from people with a conscience. It is high time that Mian Nawaz Shareef and Imran Khan open up their eyes to see the reality.
Alas,, again the target escaped and innocents died..
we don not need JUI in politics anyways .
"...Express News reported on Monday." - Either you guys have a crystal ball or that is some pretty poor proof reading...