Pakistan police lodge FIR against unknown suspects as death toll rises to 54 in suicide blast at JUI-F political convention

Pakistan police on Monday lodged an FIR against unknown suspects on charges of terrorism and murder as they intensified efforts to hunt down the Islamic State militants behind a suicide bombing that killed at least 54 people at a political convention of a hardline Islamist party in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The attack took place on Sunday when more than 400 members of the conservative Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, known for its links to hardline political Islam, had gathered for a meeting under a large tent in the town of Khar, which borders Afghanistan.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Department registered an FIR against unknown suspects on charges of terrorism, murder, attempted murder and others in connection with the bombing that injured over 100 people in Khar, the capital of Bajaur tribal district.

The banned terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.

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"A suicide attacker from the Islamic State...detonated his explosive jacket in the middle of a crowd" in Khar, the militant group's news arm Amaq said in a statement on Monday.

Amaq also showed a picture of the attacker. Nashir News, the outfit's other news outlet, issued a message identifying the attacker as Abdullah Muhajir.

This is the first-ever major suicide attack claimed by the group in Bajaur. Police also said that an initial probe has suggested that ISIS was behind the suicide attack.

The local branch of ISIS has previously targeted JUI-F party leaders as they consider them apostates.

The JUI-F is a party that is part of the coalition government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The major terror attack occurred as Pakistani political parties are beginning campaign preparations ahead of elections in the coming months.

Counter-Terrorism Department's (CTD) Additional Inspector General Shokat Abbas said that ball bearings and other stuff used in making the explosives had been found at the site of the explosion.

Abbas further stated that the terrorist group behind the attack targeted someone "specific" in the gathering.

He said that the initial probe had led the CTD to close to the attack's perpetrators.

Abbas said that many pieces of evidence have been found at the site of the explosion, and forensic reports are expected soon.

He confirmed that 10-12kg of explosives were used in the blast.

CTD's Bajaur Senior Superintendent (SP) Amjad Khan said investigators visited the crime scene and gathered evidence to further the ongoing investigations.

He said that statements of the injured had been recorded while the process of geo-fencing at the site of the explosion had also been completed.

Naseeb Gul, the district medical superintendent of the Khar hospital, told the Dawn newspaper that the deceased included five children.

District Health Office Faisal said that relatives of the deceased are taking bodies with them for burial after identification.

Some bodies have been kept in the hospital as they are unidentifiable, he said.

Meanwhile, traders in Bajaur have announced a shutter-down strike across the district to protest against the bombing.

Pakistan President Arif Alvi prayed for eternal peace for the departed souls. He also wished speedy recovery for the injured and emphasised timely medical assistance to them.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan sought a detailed report on the blast from police.

He also visited the Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar, where he met and inquired about the health of injured persons.

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

Gen Hayat directed the hospital administration to ensure that all victims receive the best possible medical treatment.

Rahim Shah, a witness, told Dawn.com that more than 500 people were attending the convention when the blast occurred.

“We were listening to a bayan [sermon] when a powerful explosion knocked me unconscious,” he said. Shah narrated that when he regained consciousness, there was blood everywhere.

“People were screaming and even shots were fired,” he added.

Sabeehullah, a 24-year-old JUI-F supporter who had his arm fractured by the blast, said the scale of injuries was horrifying.

“There was utter confusion, with human flesh, limbs, and body parts scattered throughout the area, alongside lifeless bodies. I found myself lying next to someone who had lost their limbs. The air was filled with the smell of human flesh,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

The JUI-F chief, in a statement issued by the party’s media cell, expressed grief over the incident. He sought an inquiry into the attack from Prime Minister Sharif and the KP government.

“May Allah raise the ranks of martyrs,” Fazl said and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

He also appealed to JUI-F workers to immediately reach hospitals and provide blood donations.

In a tweet, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah vowed to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice.

“The cowardly acts of terrorists cannot dampen our spirits," he said.

Former prime minister Imran Khan said he was saddened to learn about the blast and extended condolences to the victims' families.

“The rise in terror incidents across Pakistan particularly in KP, calls for an urgent need to reconsider our priorities,” he said.

He advised "those in power" to shift their focus from "political engineering" to curb the rising wave of terrorism in the country.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, has condemned the attack. TTP spokesman Khalid Khurrasani also condemned the blast.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

Bajaur is one of seven remote districts bordering Afghanistan in a region that was once a focal point in the global war on terror.

On January 30, a Pakistan Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers in a mosque in Peshawar, killing 101 people and injuring more than 200 others.

In February, heavily armed TTP militants stormed the Karachi Police chief's office in Pakistan's most populous city, sparking gunfire that killed three rebels and four others, including two police constables.