At least 44 people were murdered and over 100 injured on Sunday when a suicide bomber attacked a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) workers’ convention in the Bajaur district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) capital PESHAWAR.
The police and eyewitnesses say the explosion happened at the Dubai Market in Khar Tehsil, where a convention was being conducted under a canopy. As soon as JUI-F District Amir Maulana Abdul Rasheed made his way to the podium, the bomb went off.
According to KP Police Inspector General Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, the bomber was a convention goer sitting in the first few rows. According to eyewitnesses, the bomb was so powerful that it could be heard in remote locations.
Maulana Ziaullah Jan, the Amir of JUI-F’s Tehsil Khar, Maulana Hameedullah, the General Secretary of Navagai Tehsil, Mujahid Khan, the District Information Secretary, and hundreds of other party members were killed.
According to party insiders, senior JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah was supposed to attend the convention but was not present since he had to rearrange his travel plans due to other commitments.
Following the bomb, law-enforcement officers arrived at the scene and gave aid in moving the injured and the deceased to hospitals. According to K-P Caretaker Health Minister Riaz Anwar’s Sunday night revelation, 44 persons lost their life in the tragedy.
A cameraperson from a private TV channel was among the more than a hundred persons hurt in the blast. As a result of the large number of wounded, an emergency was declared at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Khar, where they were rushed.
35 of the injured were sent to a hospital in Taimargarh, according to reports from medical staff. In addition, 15 people with critical injuries were evacuated to Peshawar by Pakistani Army helicopters, where they may receive top-notch medical care.
Three people who were injured in Bajaur and transported to Peshawar all died there, according to Muhammad Saad, the district emergency officer. One injured individual who was being treated in Taimargarah later died, he said.
Saad further mentioned that five additional injured people were being transported from Taimargarah to the Lady Reading Hospital. He claimed eight bodies have been recognized so far and that more were still being looked for.
Nazir Khan, the DPO for Bajaur, has stated that the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber and involved 10 kilograms of explosives. According to IG Gandapur, the suicide bomber was located in the first few rows of seats.
According to the police, the JUI-F was the intended target of the explosion, as hundreds of its followers had congregated in the convention hall. The police have stated that an investigation has begun and geo-fencing has been initiated at the scene.
According to witnesses, the convention tent collapsed on one side while it was being used. They said it was a chaotic scene with bodies and human flesh, arms, and other body parts lying everywhere.
No one has come forward to take immediate blame. Interim Information Minister Feroz Kakakhel claimed that Acting K-P Chief Minister Azam Khan had requested a full report on the incident.
The bomb has prompted a three-day period of mourning, as declared by the Bajaur Bar Association (BBA). General Secretary of the BBA Ehsanul Haq Atmani has stated that no lawyers will be appearing in court for three days. Our hearts go out to the loved ones of the martyrs.
Prime Minister expresses sympathy to Fazl
After hearing about the deaths of JUI-F members, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Communications Minister Maulana Asad Mehmood to express his condolences.
Shehbaz assured the JUI leaders that those responsible for the suicide attack would face harsh punishment, and that the government was committed to eradicating terrorism.
The Prime Minister also had a phone conversation with the Chief Secretary of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Inspector General of Police, instructing them to ensure the injured receive the best care available.
Even Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s former president, sent a telegram of condolence to Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Terrorists, he claimed, were the enemy of everyone, and the country needed to do rid of places like Swat that fostered terrorists.
The K-P Caretaker The Chief Minister of Pakistan, Azam Khan, has denounced the explosion and conveyed his heartfelt regret for the loss of life.
The prime minister issued a statement calling the attack on civilians “extremely inhumane and heinous,” adding that it deserved universal condemnation.
He sent his deepest condolences to the bereaved families.
The chief minister also checked on the condition of the wounded at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Peshawar. He gave orders for the injured to be given the finest care possible at the hospital.
The attack in Bajaur was also denounced by Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who extended his “deepest condolences with the affected families” in a statement.
The United States Embassy in Islamabad has issued a statement expressing its “deepest condolences” to the “families and loved-ones of the victims” of the bombing.
With a statement reading, “We strongly condemn this heinous act of violence,” it expressed its disapproval.
There is no place for terror like this in a free and open society. During this trying moment, we at the United Nations stand in solidarity with the people of Pakistan. We reaffirm our resolve to stand with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.
