At least 161 people were killed and 652 others injured in 56 bomb blasts as the militants escalated their attacks at the rallies and offices of political parties across Pakistan during the month of May when the country held its general elections, according to official statistics. Among a total of 56 bomb attacks, four were of suicide nature that swept various areas of Pakistan at different targets, killing 40 people and injuring 143 others.
After the government set the general elections on May 11, the banned militant outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups warned the public to keep away from political gatherings, particularly of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the allies of Pakistan's previous government.
During the month, at least 42 political rallies, gatherings and offices of the different political parties were targeted by the bomb blasts that killed over 100 and injured about 400 others.
The worst of these attacks took place on May 6 when a suicide bomber targeted a candidate of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F), a religious-political party, at a gathering in Kurram Agency. Although the attacker missed the target, the blast killed 26 people and injured 67 others. On May 17, twin bomb blasts targeted two crowded mosques during Friday prayer in Malakand Agency. The blasts destroyed the mosques and killed at least 21 and injured 120 others.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the worst hit with 21 attacks followed by 14 blasts in south-west Balochistan and 11 in southern Sindh province. The country's most populous eastern province of Punjab that accounts for over 60 percent of the total population, remained unhurt during that period. Volatile tribal regions that border Afghanistan faced 10 bomb attacks in May.
According to the official statistics, the terrorists carried out 56 bomb attacks at 56 targets during May, killing 139 civilians as well as nine policemen and five members of the security forces.
The worst hit day of the month of was the general election day on May 11, when at least 20 people were killed and over 100 others injured in a number of bomb attacks across the country.
Militants carried out five direct attacks at police and two at security forces during the month while in the most of the incidents, the miscreants targeted civilians. The improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were used in most of the blasts, that were planted on roadsides or fixed in cars or motorcycles.
The number of attacks, especially of suicide nature, were claimed by the TTP that threatened to intensify their attacks at the security personnel, police and public rallies of the political parties, in an attempt to sabotage the country's May 11 elections.
Security forces and bomb disposal squads diffused dozens of planted bombs during the period. Analysts and experts feared that the TTP would speed up its attacks across the country as the group on Thursday withdrew its offer for peace talks with the Pakistani government. The announcement from Pakistani Taliban came after a US drone killed Waliur Rehman, one of their top commanders, in the restive tribal region of North Waziristan on Wednesday morning.
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