At least 40 dead and 100 injured in explosion at political rally in northwestern Pakistan

At least 40 people have been killed in an explosion during a political rally in north west Pakistan, according to reports.

The blast occurred when a bomb ripped through a crowd of supporters of hard-line cleric and political leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, according to local officials.

Over 100 have been reported injured in the incident on the outskirts of Khar, the capital of Bajur district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the border with Afghanistan.

Some of the injured were taken to the main hospital in the city, while others were to Timergara and Peshawar.

Pictures of the scene showed people being hurried into ambulances and a cordon being put in place. 

Mr Rehman, whose party is currently in government as part of a coalition, was not present at the rally.

Another 100 people are injured, according to reports from local officials

The blast occurred during a political rally involving supporters of a local political leader 

Bajur district which neighbours Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, was previously an area known for militant attacks

Mr Rehman, whose party is currently in government as part of a coalition, was not present at the rally.

Maulana Ziaullah, the local leader of Mr Rehman’s party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), is among those killed by the blast.

JUI-F helped to successfully oust prime minister Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote last year.

Bajur was until recently an area known for attacks and was a safe haven for Islamic militants until large military operations removed the threat.

Mr Rehman is considered to be sympathetic to the Taliban, which has governed neighbouring Afghanistan since 2021. 

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Rallies are being organised across Pakistan ahead of upcoming elections due by October.