SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Seven people, including the head of a local peace committee, were killed and 21 others suffered injuries when an improvised explosive device went off outside the commit-tee`s office in the Rustam Bazaar of Wana area in Lower South Waziristan tribal district on Monday, police and officials said.

According to police, the peace committee was holding a jirga over aland dispute at the time of the blast.

The explosion was so powerful that it destroyed the office building and badly damaged several nearby shops, causing many roofs to collapse.

The peace committee`s office, located in a narrow street near the Shakai Stand inRustam Bazaar, was established to foster peace and mediate local disputes.

Several committee members were present in the meeting at the time of the explosion.

Seven of them died on the spot, while the others suffered injuries of varying severity.

According to police sources, preliminary investigations suggest that the IED was planted near the office last night.

When contacted, DSP Imranullah said that the police hadlaunchedathoroughinvestigation into the blast and wereusing advanced forensic and investigative methods to trace culprits. Witnesses reported scenes of chaos and devastation after the blast.

The injured were immediately shifted to the district headquartershospitalinWana, where an emergency was declared.

Medical superintendent of thehospitalDr JanMohammad said that 23 people were wounded in the blast, with 17 undergoing treatment on the premises and six transferred to Dera Ismail Khan in Rescue1122 ambulances due to critical condition for specialised care.

Among the injured were noted peace committee members, including Commander Saifur Rehman and Tehsil Khan, according to police.

They said that Rehman later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

Rehman survived an assassination attempt in the past.

The bomb blast has caused significant fear and anxiety among residents, including political leaders, who urgedboth provincial and federal governments as well as security forces to immediately act to check the rising violence and insecurity.

Local social and political leaders stressed the need for additional security measures to prevent such attacks in the future and ensure the safety of civilians and peacekeepers.

They said that the peace committee`s role in maintaining law and order in the region had been undermined, while its members, including those who survived the attack, were at risk.The residents said that the blast underscored the importance of addressing the underlying security issues in the district and surrounding tribal areas, where peace building efforts continued to be vulnerable to extremist elements and terrorist groups.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Residents claimed that both Saifur Rehman and Tehsil Khan had received threats from the banned terrorist outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan for a long time.