The police and health officials in Pakistan said, "A powerful bomb exploded at a gathering of supporters of a hardline cleric and political leader in the Bajaur region in the northwest of the country on the border with Afghanistan today, Sunday, killing at least 40 people and injuring more than 100."

Senior police officer Nazeer Khan stated, "The workers' conference for Maulana Fazlur Rehman's Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam was being held on the outskirts of Khar, the capital of the Bajaur region, when the explosion occurred."

A video released by the Associated Press showed injured individuals being carried away from the scene amid the chaos that followed the explosion.

Adam Khan, 45, was injured by shrapnel in his leg and both hands, and he said it was around 4 PM when the explosion knocked him to the ground, adding, "Dust and smoke surrounded me, and I was under some injured people, barely able to stand, but just enough to see the chaos and some scattered limbs."

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State operates across the border in Afghanistan.

Initially, police reported that 10 people were killed, but later more bodies arrived at a local hospital, bringing the death toll to 40. Khan noted that some of the injured were in critical condition and that the death toll could rise.

The "JUI" workers' conference was arranged in a hall near the market, but tents were added later due to the large number of supporters that turned out. The venue was guarded by volunteers from the party wearing traditional camel-colored outfits called shalwar kameez and carrying batons.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Akhtar Hayat Gandapur said, "An initial investigation indicated that a suicide bomber infiltrated the site despite the security provided by the party volunteers, emphasizing that explosives experts are combing the area to preserve evidence."

Health official Dr. Faisal Khan stated that 40 bodies and 150 injured from the explosion were at the main hospital in Khar, and some of the injured were in critical condition and were transferred to facilities in Peshawar and the neighboring Dera district.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, President Arif Alvi, and other leaders condemned the attack and urged officials to provide all possible assistance to the injured and the bereaved families.

Maulana Ziaullah, the local leader of the Rehman party, was among the dead, while Senator Abdul Rasheed and former MP Maulana Jamaluddin were on stage but escaped unharmed. Party officials stated that Rehman was not present at the rally.

Rasheed, the regional party leader, said the attack was an attempt to sideline the Justice and Equality Front from the field ahead of the parliamentary elections in November, noting that such tactics would not succeed.

Rehman is considered a cleric supportive of the Taliban, and his political party is part of the coalition government in Islamabad. Meetings are being organized across the country to rally supporters for the upcoming elections.

"Many of our colleagues lost their lives, and many were injured in this incident. I will ask the federal and provincial administrations to conduct a full investigation into this incident and provide the rightful compensation and medical facilities to those affected."

Mohammad Wali said he was listening to a speaker addressing the crowd when the massive explosion temporarily deafened him. "I was near the water dispenser to get a cup of water when the bomb exploded and threw me to the ground. We came to the meeting excited, but we ended up in the hospital seeing the injured crying and relatives weeping as they took the bodies of their loved ones."