Suicide bomber blast at Pakistan rally, 18 killed
Sunday, 10 February 2008
PESHAWAR, Feb 09 (AP): A suicide bomber struck at an election rally in northwestern Pakistan Saturday, killing at least 18 people and wounding more than 25, police and civilian officials said.
The blast occurred at a rally of the Awami National Party- a secular, ethnic Pashtun group- in the town of Charsadda in the turbulent North West Frontier province, where Islamic extremists operate.
Area police chief Mohammed Khan said 18 people had died in the occurrence. Local television stations quoted party officials as saying 20 were killed.
Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz said the attack was believed carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated his explosives "very close to the stage" where party officials were assembled.
Afrasiab Khattak, the party's provincial leader and a prominent human rights champion, was addressing the rally but told Dawn television that he was not hurt.
Nawaz said Islamic militants were threatening all the political parties in the northwest ahead of February 18 parliamentary elections.
"They are against everyone," he told Dawn News TV.
Charsadda has witnessed several attacks in recent years. More than 50 people died in the town in December when a suicide attacker detonated a bomb amid hundreds of holiday worshippers at a mosque at the residence of former interior minister Aftab Khan Sherpao.
The blast occurred at a rally of the Awami National Party- a secular, ethnic Pashtun group- in the town of Charsadda in the turbulent North West Frontier province, where Islamic extremists operate.
Area police chief Mohammed Khan said 18 people had died in the occurrence. Local television stations quoted party officials as saying 20 were killed.
Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz said the attack was believed carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated his explosives "very close to the stage" where party officials were assembled.
Afrasiab Khattak, the party's provincial leader and a prominent human rights champion, was addressing the rally but told Dawn television that he was not hurt.
Nawaz said Islamic militants were threatening all the political parties in the northwest ahead of February 18 parliamentary elections.
"They are against everyone," he told Dawn News TV.
Charsadda has witnessed several attacks in recent years. More than 50 people died in the town in December when a suicide attacker detonated a bomb amid hundreds of holiday worshippers at a mosque at the residence of former interior minister Aftab Khan Sherpao.