ISLAMABAD: Tahriki-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on an Awami National Party (ANP) meeting in the city of Peshawar on Tuesday night.
A suicide bomber targeted ANP leader Haroon Bilour, said TTP spokesman Mohammad Khurasani.
“We urged people to stay away from the ANP’s people and their offices because we have already declared war against them,” Khurasani added.
The death toll from the attack has risen to at least 20, with more than 60 injured, officials in Peshawar told Arab News.
Bilour was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his wounds shortly after. Several of the injured are in critical condition.
Caretaker chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Dost Mohammad Khan, said those responsible for the attack will be brought to justice.
“Holding of free and transparent election (on July 25) is the prime responsibility of Caretaker Government and every possible step will be taken to achieve this objective,” he tweeted.
The National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) last week issued alerts about potential threats during the election campaign. Six leading contenders are being targeted by terrorists, NACTA said on Tuesday.
