![]() ![]() Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban surged back to power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021. With the ability to mobilise tens of thousands of madrassa students, his party never musters enough support for power on its own, but is usually a key player in any coalition. The party’s leader, cleric Fazlur Rehman, started political life as a firebrand Islamist hardliner but has softened his public image over the years in a bid to forge alliances with secular parties on the left and right of the spectrum. The jihadist group accuses JUI-F of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group while supporting hostile governments and the military. Last year, IS said it was behind violent attacks against religious scholars affiliated with the party, which has a huge network of mosques and madrassas in the north and west of the country. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the local chapter of the Islamic State (IS) group has recently carried out attacks against JUI-F. The blast coincides with a visit by a senior delegation of Chinese officials, including vice premier He Lifeng, which is due to arrive in the capital later on Sunday. Pakistan’s national assembly is due to dissolve in the next few weeks ahead of elections expected in October or November, and political parties are already preparing to campaign. Images from the blast site circulating on social media showed bodies strewn around the scene, and volunteers helping blood-soaked victims to ambulances. “It was a suicide attack, with the bomber detonating himself in close proximity to the stage,” he said. Riaz Anwar, the health minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said local hospitals reported 39 dead and 123 wounded, including 17 patients in serious condition.Īuthorities confirmed later Sunday night that the death toll had risen to 44 and that at least 200 people suffered injuries. ![]()
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