Security

Pakistan: What We Know So Far About The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bomb Blast That Killed Over 45 People

Ujjwal Shrotryia

Jul 31, 2023, 03:36 PM | Updated 03:36 PM IST


More than 10 kg of explosive was used in the blast and multiple ball bearings were found at the blast scene.
More than 10 kg of explosive was used in the blast and multiple ball bearings were found at the blast scene.

A suicide bombing on Sunday (30 July) in a gathering in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bajaur district killed 46 people.

Here is everything that we know of the bomb attack, so far.

The remote district of Bajaur is one of the seven districts of Pakistan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan.

The bomb attack occurred at 4pm in the town of Khar near the Shandi area of the Bajaur district, in a large gathering of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party.

Hundreds of party workers were present at the gathering. The bomb went off when the party's general secretary Zialluh was addressing the gathering.

Apart from the general secretary, JUI-F's district president and his son were also killed in the attack.

Until now, forty six people have been killed in the attack, and more than 200 people are injured and receiving treatment at the local hospital. According to the hospital administration, they fear a further rise in the death toll.

More than 10 kg of explosive was used in the blast and multiple ball bearings were found at the blast scene.

The Pakistan police has filed a first information report (FIR) against unknown suspects on charges of terrorism, murder and others.

According to a report by Dawn, which cited a police official, the Islamic State in Khorasan, or IS-K, could possibly be involved in the attack.

Notably, there were reports of the presence of IS-K affiliated terrorists in the Bajaur district and just a month ago (June), police had killed three terrorists working with IS-K in the district.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, ex-prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan and various other parties have condemned the attack.

Staff Writer at Swarajya. Writes on Indian Military and Defence.


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