An blast at a rally organized by an Islamist party yesterday in northwestern Pakistan killed at least 43 people and wounded 200 more, officials said, the latest sign of the deteriorating security situation in the country. The blast occurred at about 4 p.m. in Bajaur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province near the border with Afghanistan, a local official said.
A video from the rally shows hundreds of men sitting outside beneath a cloth canopy as party officials addressed the crowd. As one district leader took to the stage, enthusiastic party workers stood up, chanting, “Allah is great,” one rally-goer said. Then an explosion rocked the crowd.
Officials said they suspected it might have been orchestrated by an Islamic State affiliate in the region that is active in northwestern Pakistan and that has previously attacked the Taliban administration for not instituting what it considers a strict enough interpretation of Islamic principles in Afghanistan.
