New Delhi: The death toll after a bomb went off at a political rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday has reached 44, the Dawn newspaper has reported.The blast took place in the town of Khar in Bajaur district, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.KP health minister Riaz Anwar told AFP that over 100 are wounded.Rescue Department spokesperson Bilal Faizi had earlier said that he feared that the toll would rise from the initial estimate of 39..Images of the incident showed bodies strewn around the scene, and volunteers carrying blood-soaked victims to ambulances.Islamist party rocked by bombThe bomb exploded inside a packed venue where a rally was being held for the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl party, known for its links to hard-line Islam.“A senior leader from the party was due to address the ceremony, but before his arrival a bomb explosion took place,” Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, the inspector general of police for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told the AFP news agency.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the local chapter of the so-called “Islamic State” group has recently carried out attacks against the party.The jihadist group accuses the hard-line political party of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group that has supported successive governments and the military.With inputs from DW.This article, first published at 7.55 pm on July 30, was republished with an updated toll and other details at 8:15 am on July 31, 2023.