Pakistan: Over 40 killed as explosion hits Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rally

According to local officials quoted by Geo News, an explosion at a political rally in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region on Sunday claimed at least 40 lives. The incident occurred during a gathering of the conservative Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, renowned for its ties to hardline political Islam, in the formerly tribal region of Bajaur, although the report made no mention of a potential reason. According to initial estimates, 17 people were murdered; however, there have been over 70 injuries, and the number could go up, according to Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Rescue 1122, a first-responder agency in the province. Since last year, when a truce between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad was broken, attacks by Islamist militants have increased in Pakistan. The TTP owes allegiance to the Taliban in Afghanistan but is not a part of the Afghan Taliban. (With agency inputs)