Peshawar: A suspected suicide bombing near a police station during a peace rally in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has claimed the lives of at least 14 people, including five security personnel, and left more than a dozen others injured on Sunday. The devastating explosion occurred at the entrance of the Kabal Police Station in Swat district while demonstrators were raising slogans against a recent surge in regional militancy.
The peace rally, organised by a local tribal council known as the Swat Aman Jirga, had drawn hundreds of participants from across the district. Demonstrators gathered at the nearby Kabal Chowk, carrying placards and demanding a restoration of peace amid deteriorating security conditions in recent months. According to preliminary police reports, the blast happened just as the final speaker was addressing the large crowd.
The suspected suicide bomber allegedly attempted to infiltrate the Kabal Police Station compound during the rally. Security personnel stationed at the main gate intercepted the individual for a routine search, prompting the attacker to detonate the explosive device. Authorities noted that the prompt intervention by the guards prevented the attacker from entering the heavily secured compound, which houses a facilitation centre and other government offices, averting a much larger tragedy.
Following the massive explosion, chaos ensued among the rally participants. Police, rescue teams, and local administrators immediately launched emergency operations. The injured victims were rushed to the Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital for medical assistance, while security forces completely cordoned off the area to conduct search operations and gather forensic evidence. No militant group has immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
The incident marks a continuation of worsening security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Just hours earlier, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast near the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway toll plaza injured two policemen. Earlier on July 30, a militant attack on a police check post in Hangu resulted in the deaths of nine officers. Reports indicate a severe spike in violence across the province, with terror related fatalities surging by 105 per cent, jumping from 75 deaths in June to 154 in July.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Chief Minister Suhail Afridi strongly condemned the attack and expressed their profound grief over the loss of lives. The Chief Minister has formally requested a detailed investigative report from the Inspector General of Police.