ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into a crowd after a rally for a candidate allied with the opposition, killing 37 people and heightening fears of Islamic militant violence during Monday’s parliamentary elections.
Most of the victims of Saturday’s attack appeared to be members of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party, formerly led by the slain Benazir Bhutto. They had gathered at the home of the targeted candidate after the rally in a volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan, said Mushtaq Hussain, an administrative official in the area.
“Several of our party members are lying in a pool of blood,” said Zafar Ali, a party supporter at the scene.
In another area along the border, a second car bombing near a checkpoint killed two civilians and wounded eight security personnel, said army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. That blast occurred near Swat, a former tourist destination where security forces have battled armed supporters of a pro-Taliban cleric in recent months.
The candidate targeted in the first suicide bombing, Syed Riaz Hussain, was unharmed. He is backed by the opposition PPP.
Many of the injured were in critical condition with burns, doctors said.
Asked who could be behind the bombing, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said those “who want to derail the election process.”
