At least four people, including Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani – chief of the (JUI-S) – were martyred and around a dozen others injured in a suicide blast at the Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak area of Nowshera district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
A statement released by the Central Police Office confirmed that the explosion, that took place after Friday prayer at the mosque situated inside Darul Uloom Haqqania compound, was a suicide bombing, Express News cited police sources.
Zulfiqar Hameed, Inspector General (IG) of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province earlier told local news channels that at least four people were martyred and around a dozen others injured in the suspected suicide blast.
He added that initial reports indicate that Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani was the primary target of the attack.
The attacker entered the mosque through the side gate while Friday prayers were being offered.
Rescue, security and forensic teams reached the blast site and shifted the vctims to nearby hospitals as. a probe into the attack went under way.
On the other hand, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) MTI stated that the emergency services at LRH have been put on alert in anticipation of the arrival of casualties from the Akora Khattak explosion. The entire staff is prepared to handle any situation and provide treatment to the injured.
Condemnations pour in
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the suicide bomb attack at the mosque and offered condolences for the loss of life.
A JUI-S spokesperson Aslam Ghori also reacted to the blast, calling the explosion at Darul Uloom Haqqania Akora Khattak tragic and condemnable. He expressed concern that now even mosques and religious schools are no longer safe.
He further lamented that the public has no one to address their concerns. Ghori urged JUI workers and volunteers to extend all possible support and called for blood donations to help the injured.
Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani is son of Maulana Samiul Haq Haqqani, an influential religious and political leader who was commonly known as ‘the spiritual father of Taliban’.
The JUI-S founder had been stabbed to death inside his Rawalpindi home by unidentified assailants on November 2, 2018.
