Pakistan: Political Rally Bombing Kills at Least 45

Facts

• Following a suicide bombing at a political rally in the Bajaur district of Pakistan on Sunday, state-run rescue agency Bilal Faizi has confirmed that at least 45 people have died, with over 130 injured and 61 currently undergoing treatment.¹
• At this time, no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the actions of the individual, who detonated an explosives vest near the stage of several senior members of the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party — a Pakistani government coalition partner.²
• Provincial police claim that initial investigations have suggested that the Islamic State group (IS) may be behind the attack. The group has been active in neighboring Afghanistan in opposition to the Taliban administration and has been known to take refuge in the Peshawar area.³
• IS has previously carried out attacks against JUI-F in the region and has previously accused the party of hypocritically having Islamic ideology while supporting hostile groups as well as the military.⁴
• Party officials have stated that JUI-F's pro-Taliban party leader and cleric, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, was not present at the rally. Senior party member Abdul Rasheed claimed that the attack was an attempt to undermine JUI-F before parliamentary elections this November.⁵
• A witness has shared that over 500 people were at the event listening to a sermon when the blast occurred. In response to the event, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has claimed that those involved will be "truly punished" and committed to "bringing an end" to terrorism in the state.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Guardian, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴NDTV, ⁵Independent, and ⁶DAWN.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Daily Times. The bombing in Bajaur is yet another example of terrorism engulfing the war-ravaged region. Intelligence-sharing agreements must be signed with Afghanistan, and a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy must be drawn up as an immediate priority. Now is a crucial time for Pakistan to respond — Islamabad cannot continue to sit back and let terrorists increasingly gain influence and strength.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Nation. Although more must be done to stem the continuing wave of terrorism in Pakistan, current attempts by the government to impose new legislation come at the expense of democratic principles. Meaningful dialogue and measures are necessary, but current broad and vaguely-worded provisions to target terrorists raise the potential for the government to abuse its power, violate individual freedoms, and restrict media access. Pakistan must find a balance between security and civil liberties.

Predictions