14 killed, dozens injured in suicide blast at peace rally in Pakistan’s Swat

At least 14 people were killed and dozens more injured in a suicide bombing at a peace rally in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, officials said.

The explosion occurred during the Swat Peace Rally in Kabal town of Swat district, where hundreds had gathered to demand improved security amid rising militant violence in the region.

According to Swat Deputy Inspector General of Police Fida Hussain, the attacker detonated an explosive vest after police stopped him from entering a nearby police station at the main intersection.

“The suicide bomber attempted to enter the police station but was intercepted by police at the main gate before detonating his explosives,” Hussain said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Rescue teams rushed the injured to nearby hospitals as police and security personnel sealed off the area and launched an investigation.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the bombing, expressing condolences to the families of those killed and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

The Swat Peace Rally was organised by the Swat Aman Jirga, a local tribal council, with participants carrying placards and chanting slogans calling for peace in a region that has witnessed a sharp rise in militant activity in recent months.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused militant groups operating from neighbouring Afghanistan of carrying out attacks in its border provinces, an allegation denied by the Taliban government in Kabul.

The accusations have strained ties between the two countries, with Pakistan conducting airstrikes against what it says are militant hideouts inside Afghanistan. The Taliban administration and the United Nations have said recent Pakistani strikes in eastern Afghanistan killed dozens of civilians.

A Pakistani military spokesperson said on Friday that militant attacks and subsequent security operations have claimed the lives of 819 security personnel and civilians so far this year.