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AFP
Peshawar
Thousands flocked to the funeral Wednesday of a politician killed by a Taliban suicide bomber in northwestern Pakistan's Peshawar, hours after the explosion left 20 dead in the first major attack ahead of July 25 polls.
A senior police official estimated that 30,000 people attended the funeral of the local leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), Haroon Bilour, was among those killed in the attack late Tuesday during an election rally.
Party workers cried and hugged, while others looked on in shock as funeral prayers were said. Markets were also closed across the bustling frontier hub near the Afghan border out of respect for those killed in the attack.
The ANP has been targeted by Islamist militants in the past over its vocal opposition to extremist groups like the Taliban.
The bombing came hours after Pakistan's military spokesman said there were security threats ahead of the national elections. Bomb disposal chief Shafqat Malik told AFP that the suicide bomber -- who he said was around 16 years old -- had eight kilograms (18 pounds) of explosives and three kilograms of pellets, ball bearings and other shrapnel on his body.
Peshawar lawyers went on strike on Wednesday to protest and mourn the death of Haroon, who was also a barrister.
Bilour was one of the ANP's election candidates and belonged to an influential political family in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital.
His father Bashir Bilour, one of the ANP's top leaders, was also killed by a suicide bomber in 2012.
Police said the bomber struck when Bilour was about to address some 200 supporters. Mohammad Khorasani, spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
