A powerful explosion struck a cricket match at Kausar Cricket Ground in Khar tehsil of Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Saturday, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
Police said the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) in what appeared to be a targeted attack.
“This appears to be a deliberate strike,” Bajaur District Police Officer Waqas Rafique confirmed.
No militant group has claimed responsibility so far, but police suspect terrorist involvement. Officials linked the incident to Operation Sarbakaf, an anti-militancy offensive launched by security forces in the region last month.
The blast comes a week after two separate violent incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In one, three militants were killed in a police encounter in Kohat district’s Lachi police station area.
In another, gunmen ambushed a police van near the Darmalak checkpost in Lachi tehsil, killing a constable.
The latest attack underscores the persistent security challenges in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt, where security forces remain engaged in operations against militant groups.
