A senior Pakistan politician was among 21 people killed in a suicide blast at an election rally in Peshawar on Tuesday night.

Awami National Party (ANP) candidate Haroon Bilour was about to address supporters when he was fatally wounded in the attack, which injured 65 others. Mr Bilour was taken to hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

Mr Bilour's father, Bashir Ahmed Bilour, also a senior figure within the leftist secular party, was killed in a Taliban suicide blast at a party meeting in 2012. The ANP, which campaigns against the Taliban, has been a regular target of militants operating in Pakistan's northwest.

The Pakistani Taliban also claimed Tuesday's attack. Its spokesman Mohammad Khurasan said the attack on Tuesday night was an act of revenge for the ANP's rule. It vowed to carry out more such attacks and asked people to stay away from ANP rallies.

Mr Bilour's family called on his supporters to remain calm.

"I am also ready to sacrifice my life for your rights, but I request you to exercise restraint," Bilour's 16-year-old son Daniyal, who was wounded in the bombing, told supporters at his home. He said his father's funeral would be held later on Wednesday.

ANP senior leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the attack was intended to derail democracy and delay the elections scheduled for July 25.