Islamic State on Monday claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of a political rally in northwest Pakistan held by a religious group allied to the government as the death toll from the attack rose to 45.
The bomber struck at a gathering on Sunday of the conservative Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, which is known for its links to hardline Islamists but which condemns militants seeking to overthrow the Pakistani government.
The attack in the Bajaur district of northwest Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan, compounded security concerns in the runup to a national election in November.
The hardline militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing, issuing a statement on its Telegram channel on Monday.
“The attack comes 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 group’s Amaq agency said on Telegram.
An official at a state-run rescue agency, Bilal Faizi, said the death toll had risen to 45. Of more than 130 wounded people, 61 were under treatment, government health adviser Riaz Anwar said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the blast as an attack on the democratic process. Prospects for the election have already been clouded by months of rivalry between main parties and accusations of military involvement in civilian politics, which the military denies.
