Pakistani Police Say IS Behind Suicide Bombing At Party Convention On Sunday

Faizan Hashmi Published July 31, 2023 | 02:20 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2023) Police in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said on Monday that Islamic State (IS, Daesh, terrorist group banned in Russia) was responsible for the deadly bombing attack at a political party convention in Bajaur over the weekend.

"We are still investigating and gathering information on the Bajaur blast. The initial probe shows that banned outfit Daesh was involved," a police official told Geo tv channel.

The police added that gathering information on the suicide bomber continues with a bomb disposal unit collecting evidence from the site of the attack. Three suspects have been apprehended.

The explosion occurred on Sunday at around 4:00 p.m. local time (11:00 GMT) at a gathering of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party.

Police said in the latest situation report that the blast killed 46 people and injured at least 100 as opposed to previously reported 44 dead and 200 injured. The attack was designated terrorist.

JUI-F leader Fazlur Rehman demanded that Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and regional caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan conduct an investigation of the incident. The party is one of the main allies of the prime minister's coalition government, which is preparing to participate in national elections, scheduled for November.

According to data from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies independent think tank, terrorist activities in the country have increased by 79% over the first half of 2023.