The self-styled Islamic State claimed responsibility this Monday, July 31, for the suicide attack recorded a day earlier in Pakistan, during a political rally of the nation’s most important Islamist party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F). In the last hours, the authorities reported that the number of fatalities rose to 54.
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The extremist group Islamic State spreads terror in Pakistan again. This July 31, the radical Islamist movement claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred on Sunday that left at least 54 people dead, including 23 children.
The terrorist movement identified the alleged attacker as Abdalá al Muhajer.
“The attack occurs in the natural context of the ongoing war waged by the Islamic State against ‘democracy’ as a regime hostile to true Islam and in conflict with its divine law,” the violent group said through its Telegram channel.
The events occurred when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive charge in the middle of a party political rally Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F)the most important Islamist bank in the country, in the town of Khar, on Sunday.
“The death toll has reached 54, while around 80 wounded are receiving treatment in different hospitals,” police chief Niaz Mohammed, from the Khar police station, told EFE.
The religious and political group that led the campaign rally against which the attack was carried out is known for its ties to hardline Islamists, but condemns militants seeking overthrow the Pakistani government.
At least 1,000 people, according to police, were in a packed tent near a market to witness the political rally.
“People sang God is great when the leaders (of the party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam). And that’s when I heard the deafening sound of the bomb,” described Khan Mohammad, a local resident standing outside the tent.
“An attack on the democratic process”
The rally was held in view of the general elections scheduled for October or November of this year.
Abdul Rasheed, one of the main leaders of the political caucus, said that the attack was aimed at weakening the party, but that “such attacks cannot deter our determination.”
The formation is part of the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who came to power in April 2022 after overthrowing former Prime Minister Imran Khan through a vote of no confidence in the Legislative.
The mandate of the current administration ends in the first half of August, after which the elections will be held, the previous period of which is plagued by political rallies and campaigns.
The prime minister denounced the explosion as “an attack on the democratic process.”
“A justification for postponing the elections may be strengthened if a series of attacks of this kind continue to occur… Such attacks may harm the performance and election campaign of the affected political parties,” said former head of Pakistan’s anti-terror operations, Khawaja. Khalid Faroq.
The run-up to the elections has already been marred by months of rivalry between the main political movements and accusations of army involvement in civilian politics, something the military denies.
In parallel, Pakistan has seen a resurgence in attacks by Islamist militants since last year, when a ceasefire broke down between the Pakistani Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the government.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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