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Thousands attend funeral of Pakistan politican killed by Taliban
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 11, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Thousands flocked to the
funeral Wednesday of a politician killed by a Taliban suicide bomber in
northwestern Pakistan’s Peshawar, hours after the explosion left 20 dead in
the first major attack ahead of July 25 polls.
A senior police official estimated that 30,000 people attended the funeral
of the local leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), Haroon Bilour, was
among those killed in the attack late Tuesday during an election rally.
Party workers cried and hugged, while others looked on in shock as funeral
prayers were said.
Markets were also closed across the bustling frontier hub near the Afghan
border out of respect for those killed in the attack.
The ANP has been targeted by Islamist militants in the past over its vocal
opposition to extremist groups like the Taliban.
The bombing came hours after Pakistan’s military spokesman said there were
security threats ahead of the national elections. Bomb disposal chief Shafqat
Malik told AFP that the suicide bomber — who he said was around 16 years old
— had eight kilograms (18 pounds) of explosives and three kilograms of
pellets, ball bearings and other shrapnel on his body.
Peshawar lawyers went on strike on Wednesday to protest and mourn the
death of Haroon, who was also a barrister.
Bilour was one of the ANP’s election candidates and belonged to an
influential political family in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, of which
Peshawar is the capital.
His father Bashir Bilour, one of the ANP’s top leaders, was also killed by
a suicide bomber in 2012.
Police said the bomber struck when Bilour was about to address some 200
supporters.
Mohammad Khorasani, spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
He said the militants “have already declared a war” on the ANP and called
on the public to keep away from them, “or you will be responsible for your
own loss”.
Peshawar is considered a gateway to Pakistan’s troubled semi-autonomous
tribal regions, where many militant groups — including Al-Qaeda — operated
until the government launched operations to oust them.
The attack comes weeks after the TTP’s leader Maulana Fazlullah was killed
in a drone strike in Afghanistan in what the Pakistani army called a
“positive development”.
Militants have targeted politicians, religious gatherings, security forces
and even schools in Peshawar.
But security across Pakistan, including in Peshawar, has dramatically
improved since government and military operations in recent years.
Analysts warn however that Pakistan has yet to tackle the root causes of
extremism.
BSS/AFP/RY/1952 hrs