A suicide bomber struck a peaceful anti-militancy rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 14 people, including civilians and police officers, while injuring more than 24 others, authorities said.
According to CNN, the explosion occurred in Kabal, a town in the Swat Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where hundreds of residents had assembled near a police station to demand improved security and an end to militant violence.
Witnesses said demonstrators were chanting anti-militant slogans when the attacker detonated explosives in the crowd. Before the blast, speakers at the gathering stressed that ensuring public safety and eliminating militancy were responsibilities of the government.
They also criticised the authorities for failing to act decisively against armed groups, insisting that residents wanted to live free from the fear that had plagued the valley for years.
District police chief Omar Khan said the bombing claimed the lives of at least nine civilians and five police officers.
Bilal Faizi, spokesperson for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s emergency service, said the bomber targeted dozens of demonstrators who had gathered to call for peace and denounce militancy.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives.
In separate statements, they offered condolences to the families of those killed, prayed for the recovery of the injured and directed authorities to ensure victims receive the best possible medical care.
Both leaders also reaffirmed that Pakistan’s campaign against terrorism would continue until militancy is eliminated.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also denounced the bombing, extending condolences to the bereaved families and praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.
The Swat Valley was once under the control of Islamist militants who enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law, before a major military offensive in 2007 pushed them out and restored government authority.
In recent months, however, militant activity has resurfaced in the valley, raising concerns that the Pakistani Taliban are attempting to re-establish their presence.
The renewed violence has prompted residents to organise repeated anti-Taliban demonstrations demanding lasting peace.
Although no group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s bombing, suspicion has fallen on the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
The group operates separately from, but maintains close ties with, Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Many of its leaders and fighters relocated to Afghanistan after the Taliban regained power in Kabul in 2021.
Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of providing sanctuary to TTP militants, an allegation the Kabul administration has repeatedly denied.
The country has witnessed a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years, with security personnel frequently among the targets.
On Friday, military spokesperson Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry disclosed that Pakistan had recorded 3,145 “terrorism incidents” since January.
He said security forces had killed 2,084 militants during the same period, while 819 Pakistanis, including soldiers, police officers and civilians, had lost their lives.
Chaudhry further stated that Afghanistan-based militants had carried out 28 suicide attacks in Pakistan since January, alleging that most of the attackers were Afghan nationals or individuals linked to Afghanistan’s security forces.
He maintained that the TTP and other militant organisations were launching attacks inside Pakistan with the backing of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, adding that Pakistan would continue targeting the TTP and its support infrastructure.
