PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber targeted a peace rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 14 people, including five police officers, and injuring more than two dozen others, officials said.
The attack took place in Kabal, a town in the Swat Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where demonstrators had gathered near a police station, chanting anti-militant slogans and demanding peace, district police chief Omar Khan said.
The Swat Peace Rally was organised by the Swat Aman Jirga, a local tribal council. Participants carried placards and raised slogans calling for peace in the region, alleging that police inaction had contributed to a deteriorating security situation over the past few months.
According to the District Police Officer (DPO) Swat, the suspected suicide bomber attempted to enter the Kabal Police Station and Police Lines compound but was intercepted by police personnel at the main gate.
The attacker then detonated the explosive device, damaging the main gate and preventing entry into the heavily secured compound, the DPO said.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and extended his condolences to the families of the victims while praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.
The Swat Valley was once a stronghold of Islamist militants who imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia law before the Pakistani military launched a major operation in 2007, driving them out and restoring government control.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, though suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The TTP is separate from, but allied with, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers. Many of its leaders and fighters have reportedly found sanctuary in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan's Taliban government of harbouring TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years, with police and security forces frequently among the primary targets.