Peshawar suicide blast death toll rises to 22

PESHAWAR: Two more of the injured succumbed to their wounds bringing the death toll from Tuesday’s suicide blast to 22, officials said on Thursday.

The deadly blast targetted a corner meeting of the Awami National Party (ANP) in Peshawar’s Yakatoot area. Party leader Barrister Haroon Bilour was among those martyred in the attack.

More than 60 people were injured in the attack, seven of whom remain under treatment at a local hospital.

The deceased ANP leader was set to contest the July 25 elections from Peshawar's PK-78 constituency. He was the son of Bashir Ahmed Bilour, a senior ANP figure who, himself, was martyred in a suicide attack in 2012 after a party meeting.

A case against the incident was registered at police station Agha Mir Jani Shah, with SHO Wajid Ali as the complainant.

Following the tragedy, the Election Commission of Pakistan postponed the polls in PK-78 (Peshawar-XIII) constituency. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council announced a three-day mourning, while political parties including the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf suspended their electoral campaigns in the province to express solidarity with the victims of the attack.