Pakistan suicide bombing death toll rises to 45

The death toll in a suicide bombing at a political rally held by a religious party rose to 45, officials said, an attack compounding fears of unrest ahead of a general election due later in the year, Reuters reported.

The bomber attacked the gathering of the conservative Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, which is allied with the government and known for its links to hardline groups, in the Bajaur district on Sunday in the northwest, near the border with Afghanistan.

No group has claimed responsibility.

An official at a state-run rescue agency, Bilal Faizi, said the death toll had risen to 45. Of more than 130 wounded people, 61 were under treatment, said government health adviser Riaz Anwar.

A police counter-terrorism wing investigating the blast suspected the ISIS group was behind it, police said in a statement.