Suicide bomber at Pakistan political rally kills at least 44, injures nearly 200

KHAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber set off explosives at a political rally in northwest Pakistan on Sunday, killing himself and at least 44 other people while injuring nearly 200 people, authorities said.

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The attack happened in the town of Khar, located near the border of Afghanistan, Reuters reported. The device, which was detonated near the stage where the rally was being held, targeted members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, according to CNN.

The party is a right-wing political and religious party led by cleric Maulana Fazlur Rehman, The Washington Post reported. The cleric is an ally of Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership and supports electoral politics in Pakistan, according to the newspaper.

“Such crimes cannot be justified in any way,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted, the Post reported.

Although the JUI-F party is part of the country’s ruling class, it has also taken far-right positions on issues that include women’s rights, according to the newspaper.

Video footage of the explosion showed a fireball erupting near the stage as supporters assembled in a large tent, The Wall Street Journal reported. The video showed corpses and dismembered body parts scattered around the area where the bomb was detonated, according to the newspaper.

“There was dust and smoke around, and I was under some injured people from where I could hardly stand up, only to see chaos and some scattered limbs,” Adam Khan, 45, told The Associated Press. Khan said he was knocked to the ground by the blast and was hit by splinters in his leg and both hands.

The JUI-F party is allied with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government, which is preparing for national elections in November, Reuters reported.

On Sunday, Sharif condemned the explosion, calling it an attack on Pakistan’s democratic process. The prime minister vowed to punish the people responsible for the attack, according to the news organization.