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A suicide bombing at an anti-militant rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday killed at least 14 people, including civilians and police officers, and injured more than two dozen others, officials said.
The attack took place in Kabal, a town in the Swat Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where demonstrators had gathered near a police station to demand peace and protest the growing presence of militants in the region.
District police chief Omar Khan said at least nine civilians and five police officers were among those killed.
Witnesses said speakers at the rally had urged the government to take responsibility for ensuring public security and eliminating militancy.
They accused authorities of failing to act decisively against armed groups and said residents wanted to live without fear after years of violence that had devastated the valley.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emergency service, said the attacker targeted a crowd chanting anti-militant slogans and calling for peace. Emergency teams rushed the injured to nearby hospitals.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life.
In separate statements, they offered condolences to the families of the victims, prayed for the recovery of those injured and directed authorities to ensure proper medical treatment.
Both leaders said Pakistan’s campaign against terrorism would continue until militancy was eliminated.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the bombing, offering condolences to the bereaved families and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
The Swat Valley was once a major stronghold of militant groups that imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law before Pakistan’s military launched a large-scale operation in 2007, driving the militants out and restoring government control.
However, militant activity has resurfaced in parts of the valley in recent months, raising concerns that the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), may be attempting to regain influence in the region.
Residents have repeatedly organised anti-militant rallies across Swat to protest the presence of armed groups and demand stronger security measures.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack. Pakistani authorities are likely to investigate whether the TTP or an affiliated militant group was involved.
The TTP is separate from Afghanistan’s Taliban government but is considered an allied movement. Pakistan has long accused the Taliban authorities in Kabul of providing safe havens to TTP members, an allegation the Afghan government has denied.
Pakistan has experienced a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years, with police and security personnel among the main targets.
On Friday, military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan had recorded 3,145 “terrorism incidents” since January. He said security forces had killed 2,084 militants during the period, while 819 Pakistanis — including soldiers, police officers and civilians — had lost their lives.
Chaudhry also said that Afghanistan-based militant groups had carried out 28 suicide attacks in Pakistan since January. He alleged that most of the attackers were Afghan nationals or individuals linked to Afghanistan’s security forces and accused the Taliban authorities of supporting the TTP and other armed groups operating inside Pakistan.
