Home Latest News Bomb Targets Politician’s Convoy in Bannu

Bomb Targets Politician’s Convoy in Bannu

by AFP

File Photo. Asif Hassan—AFP

At least four people killed, 39 others injured

At least four people were killed and 39 others injured after a bomb hidden inside a motorcycle detonated as a politician’s convoy passed by on Friday, police said, as Pakistan gears up for general elections.

The bomb near Bannu was targeting the convoy of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) candidate Akram Khan Durrani, who survived the attack, police said.

“The bomb was planted in a motorcycle,” regional police officer Kareem Khan told AFP. Other local authorities confirmed the attack.

The MMA is a coalition of religious parties. Durrani is standing against cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) is one of the frontrunners in the July 25 vote.

“Strongly condemn the terrorist attack on Akram Durrani and his convoy,” Khan tweeted after the attack. “There seems to be a conspiracy to sabotage the 25 July elections but the people of Pakistan will not allow any design intended to target these historic elections to succeed,” he continued.

The blast comes days after a bomb claimed by the Pakistani Taliban targeted a rally by the Awami National Party (ANP) in Peshawar on Tuesday. Hospital officials said Friday that the toll in that attack had risen to 22.

Local ANP leader Haroon Bilour was among those killed. Thousands flocked to his funeral the next day.

Pakistan’s security has dramatically improved in recent years, with the military cracking down on militancy that has cost tens of thousands of lives in the past decade. But analysts have long warned that the country has not tackled the root causes of extremism.

Related Articles

Leave a Comment