At least 40 people killed in blast at political event in Pakistan

Dozens of people have been killed in an explosion at a political gathering in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Geo News reported, citing local officials. The report did not specify a cause of the blast that occurred at a gathering of the conservative Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, known for its links to hardline Islamism, in the Bajaur district.
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Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, a first-responder service in the province, said more than 70 people had been injured and that the death toll could rise.

Pakistan has experienced a resurgence of attacks by Islamist militants since last year when a ceasefire between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad broke down. The TTP pledges allegiance to, but is not directly a part of, Afghanistan’s Taliban.

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