Hundreds of mourners wept yesterday as villagers buried victims of a horrific suicide bombing at a Pakistan election rally, an attack that killed 27 people and stoked fears about security ahead of next week's crucial parliamentary election.
The blast on Saturday devastated a hall where about 200 people had gathered in the town of Charsadda, located in the turbulent North West Frontier Province where Islamic extremists have been battling government forces.
The rally was organized by the Awami National Party, a secular organization that competes against Islamist parties for support among the ethnic Pashtun community.
The party secretary-general, Mohammed Adeel, told reporters yesterday that 27 people died and 50 were injured in the blast.
"The entire village is grieving," said Tariq Khan, who attended a funeral for three men from Nahqi village who died in the blast. "We do not understand why such a big attack happened."
He said the Awami party had promoted peace in the turbulent North West Frontier area.
No group claimed responsibility, but suspicion fell on Islamic extremists linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Police recovered what they believe was the head of the bomber and planned DNA tests to try to establish his identity.
Adeel said that the attack pointed to a conspiracy against ethnic Pashtuns, who live on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghan border, and that "religious as well ethnic and government elements" were involved.
The Awami party is considered a rival to the province's hardline Islamist groups, which are also made up primarily of Pashtuns.
The suicide attack emphasized the deep tensions in Pakistan as the nation heads toward Feb. 18 elections, which are meant to restore democracy after eight years of military rule. But campaigning has been overshadowed by the Dec. 27 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, which US and Pakistani officials blame on Islamic militants.
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