2018 Peshawar Suicide Bombing

On the night of 10 July 2018, a suicide bomber attacked an Awami National Party (ANP) workers' rally in the Yaka Toot area of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The apparent target was Haroon Bilour, ANP's candidate for the PK-78 constituency in upcoming provincial elections. As Bilour's vehicle arrived at the corner meeting, an explosion occurred. Bilour was severely injured and later died from his wounds after being taken to hospital.

The attack killed a total of 22 people and wounded 75 others. Peshawar's CCPO Qazi Jameel stated that approximately 8 kilograms of TNT were used in the bombing. AIG KPK Shafqat Malik said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber and confirmed Bilour was the intended target. The initial reported death toll of 13 rose over subsequent days to 21, and then to 22 after another victim succumbed to injuries on 12 July 2018. Along with Bilour, victims identified included Asif Khan, Mohammad Naeem, Mohammad Shoib, Haji Muhammad Gul, Yaseen, Najeebullah, Khan Muhamad, Huzaifa, Abidullah, Arif Hussain, Imran, Akhtar Gul, Zameer Khan, Asrar, Rizwan, Sadiq, and Sameen; two bodies remained unidentified.

The bombing followed a pattern of attacks against ANP leadership. Haroon Bilour's father, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, a senior ANP leader, was killed by a suicide bomber in December 2012. Haroon Bilour himself had previously been the target of a TTP-claimed suicide attack on an ANP election rally on 16 April 2013 that killed 15 people, though he was not present at that rally.

In the aftermath, law enforcement agencies arrived at the scene to begin investigations, and the injured and dead were transported to Lady Reading Hospital. IG KPK Mohammad Tahir formed a seven-member team to investigate the bombing and ordered a report within seven days. Police conducted raids across Peshawar the following day, and nine units of police and Quick Reaction Forces were deployed at the city's entry and exit points. Bilour's body was taken to his residence, Bilour House, where ANP supporters gathered and protested the government's perceived failure to provide adequate security. The Election Commission of Pakistan subsequently postponed polling for the PK-78 constituency.

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, describing the killing of Bilour as "a revenge of previous government," a reference to ANP's tenure governing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2008 to 2013. The group also issued warnings of further attacks against security forces.