Pakistan blast: Death toll rises to 54, police register case

Peshawar. The death toll in the suicide attack on a political conference of hardline Islamic party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 54, with police registering cases against 54 people. Case has been registered. The police gave this information on Monday. Pakistan’s police have stepped up efforts to nab the Islamic State terrorists responsible for the attack by registering an FIR against unknown suspects on charges of terrorism and murder. The blast took place on Sunday when over 400 members of the hardline Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) had gathered for a meeting in Khar city.

The border of this city is with Afghanistan. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter Terrorism Department has registered an FIR against unidentified suspects on charges of terrorism, murder, attempt to murder and other charges. The banned terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack. “An Islamic State suicide bomber … detonated his explosive vest in the middle of a crowd,” ISIS’s Amaq news agency said in a statement on Monday. Banned militant group Islamic State (IS) was behind the suicide blast in Khar, the capital of the tribal district of Bajaur, injuring around 100 others, police said, citing preliminary investigations.

The local unit of the Islamic State has earlier also targeted JUI-F leaders as it considers them heretics. The JUI-F is part of the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The attack comes at a time when Pakistan’s political parties are starting campaigning for the general elections to be held in the coming months. Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi prayed for the souls of those killed in the attack. He wished speedy recovery to the injured and stressed on providing timely treatment to them.

According to a statement issued on Sunday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan has called for a detailed report on the blast from the police. He visited the military hospital in Peshawar and inquired about the health of the injured in the attack. Eyewitness Rahim Shah told a news website that more than 500 people were present at the conference when the blast occurred. “We were listening to the statement when there was a loud bang which made me unconscious,” he said. When he regained consciousness, there was blood splattered all around, Shah said. “People were screaming and gunshots were heard at that time,” he said.

Sabinullah, 24, a JUI-F supporter, said the number of injured was frightening. The bone in his own hand has been broken by the blast. “There was confusion everywhere, with lumps of human flesh, severed legs and body parts strewn all around. I was lying beside a man whose legs had been amputated. The smell of human flesh had spread throughout the atmosphere.” In a statement issued by JUI-F’s media cell, the party president expressed grief over the incident. He demanded an inquiry into the attack by Prime Minister Sharif and the provincial government.

Wishing the injured a speedy recovery, Fazal said, “May Allah grant their death the status of martyrdom.” He also appealed to JUI-F workers to immediately reach the hospitals and donate blood. Home Minister Rana Sanaullah expressed his resolve to bring the attackers to justice in a tweet. “The cowardly acts of terrorists cannot dampen our spirits,” he said. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, condemned the attack. TTP spokesman Khalid Khurasani also condemned the blast.

Disclaimer:IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.

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