Islamabad, Feb 16, IRNA ,At least 27 people were killed and 95 others injured when a bomb exploded near the office of a candidate in Pakistan’s tribal agency on Saturday, witnesses and reports said.
Witnesses said the bomb was kept in a car and exploded in a busy market at Parachinar, the center of Kurrum Agency, about 290 km west of the capital, Islamabad.
Geo television reported that 12 people were killed and several injured in the blast near the office of Riaz Hussain Shah, a candidate for the National Assembly from the tribal area.
Hussain Shah, an independent candidate, told TV channels that the bomb exploded near his office at a time when his supporters were inside and outside of the office. He said he was not at the office of the time of the blast.
He said the Pakistan People’s Party has also announced support to him.
Parachinar, situated on a neck of Pakistani territory south of Peshawar, and is the closest point in Pakistan to Kabul and borders on the Tora Bora region in Afghanistan, has seen sectarian tension in recent months.
The security forces stepped up security measures after the blast as tension gripped the town ahead of the February 18 elections.