The death toll in the suicide bombing of a political rally in Pakistan on Sunday has risen to 54, and nearly 200 have been injured.
No one has claimed responsibility for the crime. According to the police, the initial investigation indicates that a group linked to the terrorist organization IS may be behind it.
The bomb detonated in the Bajur district in northwest Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan. At least 1,000 supporters of politician and cleric Fazlur Rehman had gathered under a tent for a rally ahead of parliamentary elections expected to be held in October or November.
Rehman, who was not present himself, leads the Islamist party JUI-F, which has long supported the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. He has survived at least two previous bombings, in 2011 and 2014.
The group that the Pakistani police suspect of the crime – the Islamic State in the province of Khorasan – is based in Afghanistan and is a rival of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.