7 May 2013 Syed Janan Election Rally Bombing

On 7 May 2013, a suicide bomber attacked an election rally held for Syed Janan, a candidate of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, in the town of Doaba in Hangu district, Pakistan. The attack occurred as Pakistan prepared for general and provincial elections scheduled for 11 May 2013. Hangu district had a longstanding history of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, and the region had become a flash-point for such tensions in the lead-up to the vote.

According to a police officer identified as Haleem Khan, the suicide bomber was on a motorcycle and detonated an explosive device near the vehicle carrying Syed Janan. Janan was reportedly the primary target of the attack but escaped with only minor injuries. He later told the press that he was returning to his vehicle after campaigning when the bomber detonated the device, stating that he received some injuries but survived, and that two of his guards were seriously wounded.

The attack killed at least 18 people and injured 40 others, including 11 children. This raised the cumulative death toll from pre-election violence since April 2013 to over 100. The bombing is described as the deadliest in a series of attacks that had struck Doaba during this period.

The attack was notable for targeting a candidate from an Islamist party, a shift from earlier pre-election violence that week, which had primarily targeted secular parties. Authorities imposed a curfew in the area following the bombing. At the time of reporting, investigations into the attack were ongoing and the site of the bombing had been cordoned off.

The case remains associated with the broader pattern of pre-election sectarian and political violence that affected Pakistan in the weeks before the May 2013 elections, including activity attributed in general terms to militant groups operating in the region.