Daijiworld Media Network - Islamabad

Islamabad, Aug 3: At least 14 people, including five police officers, were killed and more than two dozen others injured in a suicide blast during a peace rally in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday.

The attack occurred in Kabal town in the Swat Valley, where demonstrators had gathered near a police station, raising anti-militant slogans and demanding peace in the region.

According to Swat police chief Omar Khan, the suicide attacker targeted the crowd participating in the rally. Rescue officials said doctors at Kabal Hospital confirmed five deaths, while nine other bodies were shifted to the Central Hospital in Saidu Sharif.

The peace rally had been organised by the Swat Aman Jirga, a local tribal council, with participants carrying placards and chanting slogans calling for peace in the area.

Bilal Faizi, spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial emergency service, said the attacker struck the gathering while people were raising anti-militant slogans.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the families of those killed. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far. However, suspicion is expected to fall on the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been behind several attacks in the country. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of providing safe haven to TTP militants, an allegation that Kabul has consistently denied.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent years, with security personnel and police increasingly becoming targets of such attacks.