30 Dead By Suicide Bomb In Pakistan Aimed At Provincial Legislator

Blown out bus in Pakistan, Quetta — A rescue worker and security official collect evidence from a burnt bus at the site of a bomb blast in Quetta on June 15. Militants in a volatile region of western Pakistan bombed a bus carrying women students on Saturday and then seized part of the hospital where survivors were taken, in the first major security test for the new prime minister, Nawaz Sharif. At least 22 people were killed in a day of violence that started with an apparent separatist attack that destroyed a summer retreat once used by the nation's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the hills of Baluchistan province. Reuters/Naseer Ahmed

Police in northern Pakistan said that 30 people were killed on Tuesday in a suicide blast at the funeral of a local businessman, Reuters reported.

One of the dead was provincial lawmaker Imran Mohmand, a member of the political party of popular former cricketer Imran Khan, the centrist Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). It is believed he was targeted for his anti-Taliban stance and activities.

Reuters reported the bombing happened in the city of Mardan, in an area that heavily favors PTI. Mohmand was formerly a member of the Awami National Party, which used to control the province but was heavily targeted by the Taliban during election season and suffered several fatal attacks.

The Taliban hasn’t provided any comment on the Mardan attack.

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Pakistan