DERA ISMAIL KHAN: At least five people were killed while 10 others were injured in a suicide attack at the residence of a peace committee member near Qureshi Morr on Friday night, according to officials.

According to Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer (DPO) Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada, the explosion occurred during a wedding celebration at the residence of the peace committee chief, identified as Noor Alam Mehsud.

The participants were reportedly dancing to the beat of a drum when the attack was carried out. The blast caused the room’s roof to collapse, hampering rescue operations and making it difficult to reach those trapped under the debris.

“The explosion was a suicide blast,” the DPO told Dawn. He said that an emergency had been imposed at the District Headquarter Hospital.

In a statement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi said five bodies and 10 injured had been taken to the hospital.

He said that seven ambulances, a fire vehicle and a disaster vehicle reached the site of the incident soon after it was reported, adding that a rescue operation was under way.

Authorities cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the incident. Initial reports said peace committee leader Waheedullah Mehsud alias Jigri Mehsud was among the dead.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the blast and sought a report from the KP inspector general of police. According to a statement, he also directed law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident and identify those responsible.

He said the responsible parties would be brought to justice. “The provincial government shares the grief of the martyrs’ families. All possible assistance will be provided,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi sought a report into the incident, according to a statement from his office.

“All possible medical assistance should be provided to the injured in the Dera blast,” he was quoted as saying, expressing grief over the incident.

Earlier this month, armed assailants had killed four members of a peace committee in KP’s Bannu district.

In November 2025, seven people were killed when a peace committee office was attacked, also in KP’s Bannu district. Police officials told Dawn that one among those killed was a ‘good Talib’ — a term used to refer to a former militant who has surrendered to the state — and the rest were his relatives.

Additional input from Manzoor Ali