ISIS Claims Responsibility for Suicide Bombing at Pakistani Political Party Event, Death Toll Increases to 45 People

ISIS illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/aharan_kotogo)

JAKARTA - The terrorist group ISIS has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at an event of a government-allied party in Pakistan, as authorities put the death toll rising to 45.

The bomber attacked a gathering on Sunday organized by the conservative Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, which is known for its links to hardline groups, but condemns militants seeking to overthrow Pakistan's government.

The attack in Pakistan's northwestern Bajaur district, near the border with Afghanistan, has added to security concerns ahead of national elections in November.

In a statement issued later, the hardline militant group ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing.

"This attack took place in the natural context of the ongoing war waged by ISIS against 'democracy' as a regime that is hostile to true Islam and contrary to divine law," Amaq said, an agency of the group on Telegram, citing Reuters,  August 1.

Meanwhile, an official at the state-run rescue agency Bilal Faizi said the death toll had risen to 45.

Meanwhile, of the more than 130 injured victims, 61 of them are still undergoing treatment, said government health adviser Riaz Anwar.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the blast as an attack on the democratic process. The prospects for the election have been clouded by months of rivalry between the main parties, as well as accusations of military involvement in civilian politics, which the military denies.

It is known, the government term will end in the first half of August, and after that general elections will be held before the beginning of November.

"The justification for postponing the election can strengthen if a series of attacks like this continue," Pakistan's former counter-terrorism chief Khawaja Khalid Farooq told Reuters.

"Such targeted attacks could affect the performance and election campaigns of the affected political parties," he continued.

Pakistan itself has seen an increase in attacks by Islamist militants since last year, when a truce between the Pakistani Taliban group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the government broke down.

Last January, a bomb exploded in Peshawar and killed 100 people, with the TTP splinter group claiming responsibility. However, Sunday's attack was the deadliest targeting a political rally since the general election campaign in 2018.

Although the TTP and related groups have been behind most of the attacks in recent months, it has distanced itself from Sunday's attack, with a spokesperson condemning it.

Compared to TTP, large-scale attacks by ISIS are rare in Pakistan due to its limited presence. The group's local affiliates, which first appeared in Iraq, remain more active in Afghanistan. His last major attack in Pakistan was on a mosque in 2022.

Another new militant group, Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, which little is known about, has also emerged in recent months, and has carried out a series of attacks in the country, killing 12 soldiers at an army base in early July.