Peshawar: A suicide bomber targeted a peace rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 14 people, including five police officers, and injuring more than two dozen others, officials said.
The attack took place in Kabal, a town in the Swat Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where demonstrators had gathered near a police station, chanting anti-militant slogans and demanding peace, district police chief Omar Khan said.
The Swat Peace Rally was organised by the Swat Aman Jirga, a local tribal council. Participants carried placards and raised slogans calling for peace in the region, alleging that police inaction had contributed to a deteriorating security situation over the past few months.
According to the District Police Officer (DPO) Swat, the suspected suicide bomber attempted to enter the Kabal Police Station and Police Lines compound but was intercepted by police personnel at the main gate.
The attacker then detonated the explosive device, damaging the main gate and preventing entry into the heavily secured compound, the DPO said.
President and prime minister offer condolences
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of life.
In separate statements they offered condolences to the families of those killed, prayed for the recovery of the wounded and directed authorities to ensure the wounded receive the best possible medical treatment. Zardari and Sharif also said Pakistan’s fight against terrorism would continue until it is eradicated.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack. In a statement, he extending condolences to the families of those killed and prayers for the speedy recovery of the wounded.
The Swat Valley was once a stronghold of Islamic militants who imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law, before the Pakistani military launched a major operation in 2007 that drove them out and restored government control.
However, militants have resurfaced in Pakistan’s Swat Valley in recent months, fueling fears that the Pakistani Taliban are seeking to regain a foothold in the region. In response, residents have repeatedly staged anti-Taliban rallies to protest the militants’ presence across the valley.
Suspicion falls on Pakistani Taliban
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The TTP is separate from, but allied with, Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Many of its leaders and fighters have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies.
Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant attacks in recent years, particularly targeting police and security forces.
On Friday, Pakistan’s military spokesman Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan has recorded 3,145 “terrorism incidents” since January.
He said Pakistan had killed 2,084 militants since January, while 819 Pakistanis, including soldiers, police officers and civilians, had been killed.
Chaudhry also said Afghanistan-based militants had carried out 28 suicide attacks in Pakistan since January and alleged that most were carried out by Afghan nationals or people associated with Afghanistan’s security forces.
He said the TTP and other militant groups were carrying out attacks inside Pakistan with the support of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and Pakistan would continue to target the TTP and its support infrastructure.
