BAJAUR: A blast at a Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) convention in the Khar tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Sunday left 35 people dead and more than 200 injured, according to media reports.
Bajaur District Emergency Officer Saad Khan confirmed the casualties and number of injuries.
He said Maulana Ziaullah Jan, a key JUI-F leader in Khar, also passed away in the blast. The officer added that the injured persons were being moved to hospitals in Peshawar and Timergera.
The reports said a local journalist was among those injured in the blast.
Meanwhile, television footage showed panic-stricken people gathering at the site following the blast as ambulances arrived to move the injured to hospitals. Later, a large police contingent cordoned off the area.
JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah said he was supposed to attend the convention today but could not because of some personal commitments.
“As per the reports I have received, 10-12 workers have been martyred and over a dozen injured,” he said.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman condemned the attack on his party’s convention in Bajaur. He urged the prime minister and KP chief minister to initiate an inquiry into the matter. He prayed for the departed souls and for the speedy recovery of the injured party workers.
The JUI-F chief directed his party workers to remain peaceful and ensure blood donations to the injured by reaching the hospital. He urged the federal and provincial governments to provide the best medical facilities to the injured.
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