Initial probe shows Daesh behind Bajaur suicide bombing which claimed 54 lives
Pakistan
The attacker had targeted a gathering of JUI-F
PESHAWAR (Dunya News/Web Desk) – Islamic State group – also known as Daesh – was responsible for the suicide attack targeting a meeting of JUI-F workers at Khar in Bajaur, police said on Monday as they shared the details of initial probe.
The police said they were gathering details about the suicide bomber and collecting evidence from the site.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the suicide attack has reached 54 after three injured people succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Earlier, 43 people were killed and over 90 injured when a suicide bomber detonated himself at a JUI-F worker’s convention. JUI-F Khar tehsil chief Maulana Ziaullah Jan was also among the victims. Khar is the district headquarters of Bajaur district.
Bajaur District Health Officer Faisal Kamal said more than 80 injured had been brought to Bajaur District Headquarters Hospital, while those in a critical condition were being shifted to Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital (LRH).
He said hospitals across Bajaur and neighbouring areas had been put on high alert. “We are trying to move critical patients to Peshawar and other hospitals through helicopters.”
As Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali said two army helicopter had been sent to Bajaur for the transfer of injured people, at least 12 seriously injured individuals were airlifted to Peshawar.
MNA Jamal Uddin and former senator Abdur Rasheed were also present at the JUI-F workers' convention when the blast occurred. However, JUI-F provincial spokesperson Jalil Jan confirmed that Jamal remained safe.
CONDEMNATIONS
President Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, JUI-F Emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman and General Secretry Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and QWP chief Aftab Sherpao condemned the ghastly act.
- Alvi -
Alvi prayed for eternal peace for the departed soul and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.
- Shehbaz -
Shehbaz offered his condolences to Fazl and the bereaved families, directing the hospital administration to provide the best medical facilities to the injured. "The terrorists killed those who spoke about Islam, the Quran, and Pakistan,” he said.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 30, 2023
- Fazlur Rehman -
Fazl urged the prime minister and the provincial chief minister to initiate an inquiry into the matter, while directing his party workers to remain peaceful and ensure blood donations to the injured.
— Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan (@juipakofficial) July 30, 2023
- Haideri -
Haideri described the suicide attack as a well-planned move to create unrest in the country, adding, “We have always done politics of peace."
- Bilawal -
Bilawal vowed to bring those responsible for the blast to justice and said there was an urgent need to get rid of those preparing for terrorism.
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) July 30, 2023
- Zardari -
The former president said: "The terrorists are everyone's enemy. The entire country must be freed from the terrorism's breeding grounds, just as Swat."
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) July 30, 2023
- MQM-P -
Siddiqui condemned the Bajaur blast, saying, "The terrorists involved in the blast should be brought to justice" while Tessori vowed that the people’s morale would not be dampened by such cowardly incidents. He added that the entire nation was united to end the scourge of terrorism.
- PTI -
The party's Karachi chapter condemned the attack and urged the government to provide best medical facilities to the injured.
