Suicide blast kills at least 39 at Pakistan political gathering
By Lehaz Ali
Peshawar, Pakistan (AFP) July 30, 2023

At least 39 people were killed and dozens more wounded Sunday in a suicide bombing at a political gathering of a leading Islamic party in northwest Pakistan, officials said.

The blast targeted the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) party, a government coalition partner led by an influential firebrand cleric.

More than 400 party members and supporters had gathered under a canopy when the attack took place in the town of Khar, near the border with Afghanistan.

"As we awaited the arrival of the central leadership, a sudden and loud bang echoed through the venue," said Sabeeh Ullah, a 24-year-old supporter who fractured his arm in the blast.

"I found myself lying next to someone who had lost their limbs. The air was filled with the smell of human flesh," he told AFP by phone.

Riaz Anwar, the health minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said local hospitals reported 39 dead and 123 wounded, including 17 patients in serious condition.

"It was a suicide attack, with the bomber detonating himself in close proximity to the stage," he told AFP.

Provincial governor Haji Ghulam Ali confirmed the toll.

Images from the blast site circulating on social media showed bodies strewn around the scene, and volunteers helping blood-soaked victims to ambulances.

Pakistan's national assembly is due to dissolve in the next few weeks ahead of elections expected in October or November, and political parties are already preparing to campaign.

The blast coincides with a visit by a senior delegation of Chinese officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng, who are due to arrive in the capital later Sunday evening.

- Local Islamic State active -

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the local chapter of the Islamic State (IS) group has recently carried out attacks against JUI-F.

Last year, IS said it was behind violent attacks against religious scholars affiliated with the party, which has a huge network of mosques and madrassas in the north and west of the country.

The jihadist group accuses JUI-F of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group while supporting hostile governments and the military.

The party's leader, cleric Fazlur Rehman started political life as a firebrand Islamist hardliner but has softened his public image over the years in a bid to forge alliances with secular parties on the left and right of the spectrum.

With the ability to mobilise tens of thousands of madrassa students, his party never musters enough support for power on its own, but is usually a key player in any coalition.

Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban surged back to power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistan's home-grown Taliban group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has largely directed its campaign against security officials, including police officers.

In January, a suicide bomber linked to Pakistan's Taliban blew himself up in a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing more than 80 officers.

The militant assaults have been focused in regions abutting Afghanistan, and Islamabad alleges some are being planned on Afghan soil -- a charge Kabul denies.

Pakistan was once plagued by almost daily bombings, but a major military clearance operation in the former tribal areas starting in 2014 largely restored order.

The seven remote districts that border Afghanistan, of which Bajaur is one, were later brought under the control of Pakistani authorities after the passage of legislation in 2018.

Analysts say militants in the former tribal areas have become emboldened since the return of the Afghan Taliban.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the attack in a statement, adding Kabul "shares its deepest condolences to the affected families".

China, Pakistan to mark mega infrastructure anniversary
Islamabad (AFP) July 30, 2023 - Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng arrived in the Pakistan capital Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of an enormous economic plan that is the cornerstone of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.

Since its initiation in 2013, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has seen tens of billions of dollars funnelled into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects.

But the undertaking has also been hit by Pakistan struggling to keep up its financial obligations, as well as attacks on Chinese targets by militants.

"After a decade since its inception, CPEC has shown mixed results," said Azeem Khalid, assistant professor of international relations at COMSATS University Islamabad.

"The primary goal of connecting China with the Arabian Sea is still relatively low in achievement for China. On the other hand, Pakistan has made notable progress in achieving short-term objectives."

In recent years Beijing has been one of Islamabad's most reliable foreign partners, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often struggling neighbour.

Earlier this week, Beijing granted Pakistan a two-year rollover on a $2.4 billion loan, giving the debt-saddled nation much-needed breathing space as it tackles a balance-of-payments crisis.

An IMF report last year said China and its commercial banks held about 30 percent of Pakistan's total external debt.

- 'Stronger than the Himalayas' -

The two countries share a 596-kilometre (370-mile) frontier near the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram Mountains, one of the world's tallest ranges.

Pakistan politicians frequently trot out the phrase "stronger than the Himalayas, deeper than the ocean, and sweeter than honey" to portray the depth and closeness of the relationship with China.

But ties have been strained by numerous hurdles in recent years, including stalled or scaled-back CPEC projects.

The economic corridor presents an attractive gateway for China to access the Indian Ocean, but the safety and security of its workers has been a longstanding concern.

On Sunday at least 44 people were killed and dozens more wounded by a suicide bombing at a political gathering of a leading Islamic party in northwest Pakistan.

The CPEC corridor linking China's far-western Xinjiang region with Pakistan's strategic port of Gwadar in Balochistan has sparked claims that the vast influx of investment does not benefit locals.

Baloch separatists have claimed several attacks on CPEC projects, and thousands of Pakistani security personnel are deployed to counter threats against Chinese interests.

In April 2021, five people were killed in an attack claimed by Pakistan's Taliban at a luxury hotel hosting the Chinese ambassador in Quetta.

Months later, 12 people -- including nine Chinese workers -- were killed by a blast aboard a bus carrying staff to the Dasu dam site.

Islamabad blamed the explosion on a "gas leak" but Beijing insisted it was a bomb attack.

"Security stands out as the core problem that hinders the realisation of Chinese goals," Khalid told AFP.

"This factor is the primary reason why CPEC has not reached its full functional potential yet."

Ahead of the visit, banners celebrating the anniversary and flags of both countries have been put on display across Pakistan's capital.

Security is on high alert, and a two-day public holiday has been ordered for Islamabad to keep people off the streets.

Pakistan deftly manages relations with China and the United States, seeking a balance between its strategic interests and regional dynamics.

Arch-rival India has more fractious relations with China, with the two sides coming to blows along their frontier on occasion.

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