| 7 May 2013 Syed Janan election rally bombing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Doaba town, Hangu District, Pakistan |
| Date | 7 May 2013 12:51 – (UTC+05:00) |
| Target | Mufti Syed Janan [1] |
Attack type | Suicide attack |
| Deaths | 18 [2] –25 [3] [4] |
| Injured | Over 40 [5] |
The 7 May 2013 bombing at an election rally is the deadliest of a series of attacks that hit the town of Doaba in the district of Hangu [3] which has a history of sectarian violence. [6] The region had become a flash-point for violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims [5] as Pakistan prepared to hold a general election and provincial elections on 11 May, 2013. [4]
A suicide bomber attacked a rally for Syed Janan, a candidate of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party. [1] Mufti Syed Janan was reportedly the main target but he left the scene with minor injuries. [1] At least 18 people were killed and 40 people including 11 children [7] were injured in the attack of 7 May 2013, which raised the total number of fatalities, in pre-election violence since April, to over 100. [2] According to the police officer Haleem Khan the suicide bomber was on a motorcycle and detonated near the vehicle carrying election candidate Syed Janan. [2]
Janan later told the press, "I was on my election campaign and coming to my vehicle when the bomber blew himself up. I received some injuries but survived. Two of my guards were seriously wounded." [4]
It was one of the attacks that targeted candidates from Islamist parties, indicating a new trend in the pre-election violence, which had only occurred with secular parties before this week. [2] A curfew was imposed after these attacks. Investigations are going on and the site is cordoned off. [7]