At least 44 persons were murdered in an explosion in Pakistan at an Islamist party rally.

More than 100 people were also injured in the blast in the northwestern Bajaur area, where the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) was meeting.

According to the BBC, police have discovered evidence that suggests the explosion was a suicide attack.

Officers reported that the rescue effort had been concluded and that all injured people had been transported to hospitals.

Officials have cautioned that the death toll could rise further because 15 individuals are critically ill.

The motive for the attack is still unknown. The area has been blocked off by security forces, and an investigation into the explosion is underway.

Hundreds of people attended the JUI-F workers’ convention on Sunday in Khar, Pakistan’s tribal area of Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, close the Afghan border.

When the blast occurred near the stage, hundreds of people were gathering under a canopy.

According to one eyewitness, the tent collapsed, trapping those who were anxiously trying to flee.

Images carried on local television show ambulances transporting injured individuals to hospitals, while police stated that those with significant injuries had been transported to neighboring Peshawar by military helicopters for immediate medical care.

The district hospital has been designated a health emergency by authorities.

Some seriously injured people have been waiting in the hallways of health clinics that have been overwhelmed by the large number of casualties.

According to local officials, Maulana Ziaullah, a regional leader of the JUI-F, was killed in the blast.

JUI-F is a significant religious political party that is part of Pakistan’s government coalition in the parliament.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, blasted those involved as terrorists who “targeted those who speak for Islam, the Quran, and Pakistan” and promised “real punishment” to those responsible.

“Terrorists are enemies of Pakistan; we will eradicate them from the face of the earth,” the Prime Minister stated in a statement.

The political event provided an opportunity for the JUI-F to garner support ahead of an election later this year.

While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, the local branch of the Islamic State group (IS) in Pakistan has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks in Bajaur this year, including one on the JUI-F.

In June, terrorists claimed responsibility for the death of a party official in the village of Inayat Killi.

The claim was made by IS’s “Khorasan Province” branch (ISKP), which operates in Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. In addition, the group claims attacks in Pakistan under the guise of its “Pakistan Province” branch.