PESHAWAR, Aug 2 — The death toll from a suicide bombing in Pakistan that targeted a hard-line religious group’s political rally has risen to 63 while 123 are still under treatment, a government official said today.

The attack - the deadliest on a political party since campaigning for the last election in 2018 - has raised security concerns ahead of a general election due by November.

The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for Sunday’s blast at a gathering of the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, which is known for its links to hard-line Islamists but which condemns militants seeking to overthrow the government.

A total of 63 people have died so far and the toll could rise with 123 injured being treated in various hospitals after the attack in the northwestern district of Bajaur, its district headquarters hospital’s medical superintendent Liaqat Khan told Reuters.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the blast, which came after months of political tension and an economic crisis, as an attack on the democratic process. — Reuters