Pakistan: Election Rally Blast Hits Bannu, 4 Killed, 19 Wounded

Local Editor

An explosion targeting a political rally in the northwestern Pakistani city of Bannu which killed at least four people, according to police officials.

It is the second such attack this week which raises fears of violence ahead of a July 25 general election.

At least 19 people were wounded in the blast, which occurred just after the rally hosted by the JUI-F religious political party ended on Friday morning, said a police official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The rally was in the Huwaid area, and the explosion occurred as people were dispersing after the rally," the official said.

"It was an IED [Improvised Explosive Device] planted in a motorcycle and set off by remote control."

The rally was hosted by former provincial chief minister Akram Khan Durrani, a senior JUI-F leader who is running for a seat in Pakistan's upcoming polls.

Durrani was unharmed, police said.

The attack is the second major bombing to target a political rally this week.

On Tuesday, prominent politician Haroon Bilour was killed in a suicide attack at a Peshawar rally that claimed 20 lives and wounded 69 others

That attack was claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP], which also claimed an attack that killed Bilour's father, a staunch opponent of the armed group, in 2012.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday's bombing.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team