THE death toll from a suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan that targeted a hard-line religious group's political rally has risen to 56, a government official said on Tuesday (1).
The toll from Sunday's attack in the Bajaur district on the border with Afghanistan could rise, said Anwar-ul-Haq, the region's deputy commissioner.
Daesh or the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on a gathering of the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, which is known for its links to hardline Islamists but which condemns militants seeking to overthrow the government.
The party is allied with prime minister Shehbaz Sharif's ruling coalition, which is preparing for a general election that must be held by November.
Sharif denounced the blast, which came after months of political tension and an economic crisis, as an attack on the democratic process.
Daesh's Amaq news agency said in a claim for the attack on its Telegram channel that democracy was hostile to Islam.
"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 news agency said.
(Reuters)
Pakistan suicide bombing death toll rises to 56
Daesh which claims responsibility for the blast says the attack was part of its war against ‘democracy'
The scale of the event is immense, comparable to the combined populations of the United States and Canada. (Photo: Getty Images)
A Hindu devotee smeared with ash dances during a religious procession ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on January 10. (Photo: Getty Images)
Pilgrims carrying their belongings walk over floating pontoon bridges to go to Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, in Prayagraj on January 12. (Photo: Getty Images)
