Carnage in Bajaur: 44 martyred in suicide attack on JUIF’s convention

KHAR/ISLAMABAD/KABUL: At least 37 people were martyred and over 200 injured in a suicide attack at the worker's convention of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) here on Sunday. However, AFP reported officials saying that 44 people were killed and dozens more injured on Sunday by the suicide bombing in Bajaur.

The JUIF was holding a convention of workers at Dubai Market, Shandai Morr, Khar, headquarters of Bajaur tribal district, when a suicide bomber blew himself at the gathering. JUIF Khar tehsil head Maulana Ziaullah Jan, General Secretary Nawagai tehsil Maulana Hameedullah, District Secretary Information Mujahid Khan and Qari Gohar Shah were among those who lost their lives in the blast. The injured also included Samiullah, the cameraman of Geo News.

Eyewitnesses said that a deafening blast took place as soon as the JUIF’s district head Abdul Rasheed arrived at the stage to deliver a speech amid sloganeering by party workers to welcome him. The explosion was heard far and wide. After the blast, the local people, police, security forces personnel and Rescue 1122 took part in the rescue activities.

“The tent had collapsed on one side, trapping people who were desperately attempting to escape,” said Abdullah Khan, who tried to help the victims. “There was utter confusion, with human flesh, limbs, and body parts scattered throughout the area, alongside lifeless bodies.”

Sabeeh Ullah, a 24-year-old party supporter who had his arm fractured by the blast, said the scale of injuries was horrifying. “I found myself lying next to someone who had lost their limbs. The air was filled with the smell of human flesh,” he told AFP by phone. As the toll kept rising, Riaz Anwar, the health minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told AFP late Sunday 44 people had been confirmed killed and over 100 wounded. “It was a suicide attack, with the bomber detonating himself in close proximity to the stage,” he said. Images from the blast site circulating on social media showed bodies strewn around the scene, and volunteers helping blood-soaked victims to ambulances.

District Police Officer, Bajaur, said that it was a suicide attack in which 10 kilograms of explosives were used.

Senior police officers in Peshawar confirmed that the attack in Bajaur was carried out by a suicide bomber. They put the death toll in the explosion at 37. “Pieces of evidence collected from the spot confirm that it was a suicide attack,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan told The News.

He added that there were threats in the area for quite some time due to the presence of Islamic State in KP. He continued that as per the report of the district police officer Bajaur, the administration had refused to give permission for the rally due to various threats but the local leadership insisted on holding the rally.

After a suicide attack in Hayatabad and two in Khyber, this was the fourth suicide attack in KP in the last few days. In the last three attacks, the target remained security personnel while for the first time a political rally was targeted.

Officials of the Rescue 1122 headquarters said that ambulances from nearby Mohmand, Lower Dir, Charsadda and other districts rushed to the spot to shift those wounded in the attack to hospitals. A state of emergency was declared at the hospitals after the blast. A helicopter was also sent from Peshawar to shift the critically wounded to the Lady Reading Hospital.

The injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar, where the critically wounded succumbed to their injuries. A state of emergency had already been declared at the DHQ Hospital, Khar. About 15 critically injured persons were taken to a hospital in Peshawar by a military helicopter. Over 35 injured were transported to the District Headquarters Hospital, Timergara, in Lower Dir.

Meanwhile, Pak Army choppers have started a relief operation by airlifting the injured person to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) Hospital, which are kept on emergency.

A Pakistan Army helicopter has been provided from Khar to Peshawar for seriously injured people and IGFC Major General Noor Wali reached Bajaur to supervise the activities.

A total of 17 injured were shifted to Timergara Hospital while the rest of them are being shifted to Bajaur, Peshawar, CMH Peshawar and HMC. The alert call was issued to CMH and LRH in Peshawar. Security forces continue to donate blood to the injured, a doctor at Bajaur Hospital said.

Soon after the information, ambulances of Rescue 1122 and Edhi reached the spot, the official said, adding, Rescue 1122 is carrying out rescue operations at the accident site with the jawans of the Pakistan Army. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the local chapter of the Islamic State (IS) group has recently carried out attacks against JUIF. Last year, IS said it was behind violent attacks against religious scholars affiliated with the party, which has a huge network of mosques and madrassas in the north and west of the country.

The jihadist group accuses JUIF of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group while supporting hostile governments and the military.

One security analyst suggested Sunday’s attack was more likely linked to the election. “This is part of terrorism violence that seems to be ramping up in Pakistan ahead of elections to create a sense of instability that could eventually lead to a delay in the elections,” said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies.

Reports said the JUIF chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, contacted Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after the Bajaur incident. The JUIF chief asked the PM for taking early measures for peace as well as to provide resources to shift the critically wounded to better health facilities. He strongly condemned the blast and urged workers to remain peaceful and arrange blood for the injured workers of the party.

JUIF senior leader Hafiz Hamdullah, while talking to a private news channel, urged the government to ensure emergency medical measures for the casualties. “This is not jihad. This is sheer terrorism,” he maintained. “It is not the first blast that struck JUIF workers. I did not attend the convention due to personal engagements,” he said.

In a statement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan condemned the blast and sought a detailed report from the police. He expressed sorrow over the loss of precious human lives and said that targeting the innocent people was an extremely inhumane and heinous act.

Azam Khan directed the KP chief secretary and secretary health to ensure provision of treatment facilities to injured, adding that all available resources should be utilised for the purpose. He said the provincial government had already extended the services of its helicopter in order to shift the injured persons to Peshawar. He directed the relevant officials to announce an emergency in the hospitals of Peshawar, adding that special wards should be reserved for the injured.

Later, the chief minister visited the Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar, where he inquired about the health of the injured.

In a separate statement, KP Governor Ghulam Ali said that a helicopter had been sent to Bajaur to shift the injured to hospitals in Peshawar.

KP’s caretaker Minister for Information Feroz Jamal Shah Kakakhel said that the injured of the blast had been shifted to hospitals for medical assistance. He said that an emergency had also been declared at the hospitals of nearby Bajaur districts for timely medical assistance.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives. He condoled with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leaders and workers over the unfortunate incident. He sympathised with the bereaved families over the martyrdom of Amir of JUIF Khar Maulana Ziaullah Jan and other office bearers and workers. He said the terrorists targeted those who advocated the cause of Islam, the Quran and Pakistan.

Terrorists are the enemies of Pakistan and they would be eliminated, he said adding the elements involved in the incident would be meted out strict punishment. He sought a report from Minister of Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan and the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the incident.

The PM also expressed sympathy with those who were injured in the explosion including the cameraman of Geo news channel Samiullah. He prayed for the elevation of ranks of the martyrs in Jannah, the grant of patience to the bereaved families and early recovery of the injured.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also condemned the bomb blast in JUIF convention and expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of martyrs and JUIF. Bilawal prayed for the recovery of the injured.

Meanwhile, former president Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday vehemently condemned the bomb blast at a JUIF convention. While condoling with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said that terrorists were enemies of all. He said that there was a need to purge the whole country of terrorism nurseries like Swat.

Also, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani on Sunday expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in Bajaur. Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Senator Sherry Rehman, on Sunday strongly condemned the blast at a JUIF workers convention in Bajaur district. In her statement here, she expressed solidarity with the families of those martyred in the attack and the entire JUIF.

Meanwhile, Afghan Taliban have strongly condemned the bomb blast in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the JUIF worker’s convention.

In one of his statements on Twitter, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson, wrote that the Islamic Emirate condemns the explosion in the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam meeting in Bajaur Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also condoled the affected families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

He further wrote that may Allah give the martyrs a high place in Jannat al-Firdous such crimes are not permissible in any way.

Meanwhile, the United States has strongly condemned the tragic Bajaur blast and said that such acts of terror have no place in peaceful and democratic society.

According to a statement, the United States Embassy in Islamabad extended its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims who lost their lives in the tragic blast in Bajaur district. “We strongly condemn this heinous act of violence, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives and caused harm to many others. Such acts of terror have no place in a peaceful and democratic society.

“We stand in solidarity with the people of Pakistan during this difficult time. We reiterate our commitment to supporting Pakistan’s efforts in combating terrorism and ensuring the safety and security of its citizens.”