Pakistan: First suicide bomb explodes in run up to Elections

37 killed, 90 injured at election rally.

The attack was in the Kurram tribal agency, an area where Sunni-Shia violence is common. It consisted of a car loaded with explosives and was directed at the party of Benazir Bhutto, the PPP.

The attack in the town of Parachinar in the Kurram agency came two days before parliamentary elections Monday, and was apparently intended to deter voters from participating, said Javed Iqbal Cheema, a retired brigadier who is the spokesman for the Interior Ministry.

“It’s the same people who have been carrying out attacks, whose purpose is to create confusion and chaos and stop the polling process,” Mr. Cheema said.

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