AMN/ WEB DESK
Death toll in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has risen to 46 and over 100 persons suffered injuries. Pakistan police today said that an initial probe has suggested that ISIS is behind the suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to reports, the blast hit a gathering of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party workers in the town of Khar in north-west Bajaur district. Over 400 party workers had gathered for the convention.
Based on a preliminary investigation, the Pakistan police said that it was a suicide attack. A rescue operation has been completed and all injured have been taken to hospital, officers said. Officials have warned the death toll may rise further, as 15 people are in a critical condition. The motivation behind the attack is not yet clear. Security forces have cordoned off the area and an investigation into the explosion is taking place.
According to the media reports, Maulana Ziaullah Jan, a key JUI-F leader in Khar, also passed away in the blast. The JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman demanded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the province’s caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan to investigate the incident. Prime Minister Sharif has strongly condemned the blasts and said in a statement, terrorists are enemies of Pakistan and they will be eliminated.