Thousands expects funeral of Pakistan politician killed by Taliban

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN: Thousands flocked to the funeral on Wednesday evening of a politician killed by a Taliban suicide bomber in northwestern Pakistan's Peshawar, hours after the explosion left 20 dead in the first major attack ahead of July 25 polls.

A senior police official estimated that 30,000 people attended the funeral of the local leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), Haroon Bilour, who was killed in the late Tuesday during an election rally.

Party workers cried and hugged, while others looked upon in shock as funeral prayers were said.

Markets were closed across the border bustling between the border and the Afghan border.

The ANP has been targeted by Islamist activists in the past over its vocal opposition to extremist groups like the Taliban.

The bombing came after Pakistan's military spokesman said there were security threats ahead of the national elections.

Bomb disposal chief Shafqat Malik told AFP that the suicide bomber – who said it was around 16 years old – had eight kilograms (18 pounds) of explosives and three kilograms of pellets, ball bearings and other shrapnel on his body.

Peshawar lawyers went on strike on Wednesday to protest the death of Haroon, who was also a barrister.

Bilor was one of the ANP's election candidates and belonged to an influential political family in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, from which Peshawar is the capital.

His father Bashir Bilour, one of the ANP's top leaders, was also killed by a suicide bomber in 2012.

Police said the bomber struck when Bilor was about to address some 200 supporters.

Mohammad Khorasani, spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) activist group, the responsibility for the attack in a statement.

He said the militants "have already declared a war" on the ANP and called on the public to keep them away, "or you will be responsible for your own loss".

Peshawar is considered a troubled Pakistani troubled semi-autonomous tribal region, where many militant groups – including Al-Qaeda – operated until the government launched operations.

The attack comes after the TTP's leader Maulana Fazlullah was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan in what the Pakistani army called a "positive development".

Activists have targeted politicians, religious gatherings, security forces and even schools in Peshawar.

But security across Pakistan, including Peshawar, has dramatically improved over the past few years.

Analysts warn that Pakistan has yet to tackle the root causes of extremism.