The blast struck during the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) workers’ convention in Khar, Bajaur, as reported by Geo News, with the police confirming the casualties.
The injured individuals have been promptly transported to a nearby hospital, and law enforcement agencies have taken measures to cordon off the affected area.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi told the Dawn newspaper that five ambulances had reached the site.
Senior police officer Nazir Khan told AP that the workers convention of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema Islam party was taking place on the outskirts of Khar, the capital of Bajur district, when the explosion took place.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the Islamic State group operates across the border in Afghanistan.Maulana Ziaullah, the local chief of Rehman’s party, was among the dead. Senator Abdur Rasheed and former lawmaker Maulana Jamaluddin was also on the stage but escaped unhurt. Party officials said Rehman was not in the rally.Rehman is considered to be a pro-Taliban cleric and his political party is part of the coalition government in Islamabad. It is not known whether Rehman was present. Meetings are being organized across the country to mobilize supporters for the coming elections.
Bajur, once used to be a tribal region but now a district, has been a safe haven for Islamic militants until recent years when Pakistani military carried out massive operations to eliminate militancy from the tribal region. Militants still strike attacking security forces and civilians often.