Security personnel examine the site of a bomb blast in Bajaur district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on July 31, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

UNITED NATIONS / PESHAWAR, Pakistan - The UN Security Council on Monday strongly condemned the "heinous and cowardly" suicide terrorist attack at a political meeting in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday.

The suicide bombing has killed at least 56 people and left over 100 others injured. The Islamic State group on Monday claimed responsibility.

In a press statement, the Security Council members reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.

The toll from Sunday's attack in the Bajaur district on the border with Afghanistan could rise, said Anwar-ul-Haq, the region's deputy commissioner

They reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.

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The council members underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.

They urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the government of Pakistan, as well as all other relevant authorities in this regard, according to the press statement.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the suicide bombing has risen to 56, a government official said on Tuesday.

The toll from Sunday's attack in the Bajaur district on the border with Afghanistan could rise, said Anwar-ul-Haq, the region's deputy commissioner.

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 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the blast, which came after months of political tension and an economic crisis, as an attack on the democratic process.