People move an injured sufferer into a hospital in Peshawar on July 30, 2023. — AFP


Over 100 were injured and over 40 dead; three suspects are in prison.

PESHAWAR: According to preliminary evidence, Daesh is responsible for the suicide attack on the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) workers' convention in Bajaur, according to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police on Monday.

At a rally on Sunday in the former tribal region, which borders Afghanistan, a suicide bomber detonated explosives, killing at least 43 people and injuring over 130 more.

 "The initial investigation reveals that Daesh, a terrorist organization, was involved, according to law enforcement".

According to District Police Officer (DPO) Nazir Khan, an emergency was declared in the hospitals in Bajaur and the surrounding areas where the majority of the injured were transported. Military choppers fled the seriously wounded from Bajaur to Peshawar hospitals.

The police further stated that they were obtaining information regarding the suicide bomber as the bomb disposal squad team was gathering data from the scene. "CTD staff members are busy gathering additional evidence."

Since the collapse of a cease-fire between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad last year, terrorist assaults in Pakistan have increased. More than 100 people were killed earlier this year in a Peshawar mosque blast.

According to a recent UN Security Council report, the TTP may be looking to unite with Al Qaeda to form a single organization that would house all militant organizations active in South Asia.

Although cross-border militancy persists, Pakistan has long held Afghanistan responsible for failing to uphold its promise to ensure that its soil was not utilized for terrorism in Islamabad.