Islamabad, Jan 25 (IANS) The death toll from suicide bombing at a wedding in Dera Ismail Khan area of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has increased to seven while seven others were injured, local media reported on Sunday, citing police and Rescue 1122 officials.
The blast targeted the residence of Noor Alam Mehsud, head of the Peace Committee in Dera Ismail Khan district, late on Friday. Mehsud himself was also injured in the incident. Police said guests were performing traditional drum dancing when a blast took place after a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a room, causing a part of the building to collapse, Pakistani daily Dawn reported.
According to Rescue 1122 officials, several ambulances, fire and disaster response vehicles were sent to the site of the incident after they received reports about the explosion. The bodies of the deceased and injured people were taken to hospitals while rescue teams were conducting debris-clearing operations.
District police officer Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada said that the head of the suicide attacker was recovered from the site of the incident. Security personnel cordoned off the area and began a probe while additional law enforcement personnel were deployed in and around the district.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the suicide blast and sought an immediate report from the provincial police chief. He also directed the authorities concerned to ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical facilities.
Calling the incident “unfortunate”, he said that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice, Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported.
The provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which share borders with Afghanistan, have been particularly affected by such attacks in recent times.
This was not the first time Mehsud, head of the Mehsud Peace Committee in South Waziristan, has been targeted.
In 2022, two suicide bombers attempted to attack him at his office in Dera Ismail Khan. Both attackers were killed outside the office, and peace committee volunteers successfully thwarted the attempt, according to The Express Tribune report.
In December last year, three police personnel were killed in a bomb attack targeting a police vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan.
According to data released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan recorded more than a 25 per cent increase in overall violence last year, with at least 3,187 fatalities and 1,981 injuries linked to violence involving civilians, security forces and criminals.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emerged as the worst-hit region, accounting for nearly 68 per cent, or 2,165, of the country’s total violence-related fatalities and over 62 per cent, or 732, of all reported incidents. In the province, deaths during security operations stood at 1,370, exceeding fatalities from militant attacks, which numbered 795, by 72 per cent.
–IANS
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