35 killed, over 200 injured in blast at political party's convention in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At least 35 people were killed and over 200 were left injured in a suspected suicide blast at a political party's convention in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, GeoNews reported on Sunday. The blast took place during the speech of a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader, caretaker Information Minister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel told Geo News. 

JUI-F Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesperson Abdul Jalil Khan said the explosion took place at around 4 pm as Maulana Laeeq was addressing the convention. The provincial spokesperson said that JUI-F MNA Maulana Jamaluddin and Senator Abdul Rasheed were also present during the convention. He confirmed that JUI-F’s Tehsil Khar Amir Maulana Ziaullah was also among the dead. 

A witness told Dawn.com that more than 500 people were attending the convention when the blast occurred. "We were listening to a bayan when a powerful explosion knocked me unconscious," Rahim Shah said. He narrated that when he regained consciousness, there was blood everywhere. "People were screaming and even shots were fired."