At least three people, including Maulana Abdullah Nadeem, the district chief of Jamiat Ulema Islam, were injured in a bomb blast inside a mosque at Azam Warsak Bazaar in Lower Waziristan tribal district on Friday.
District Police Officer Asif Bahader told media that the explosion occurred at 1:45 pm when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted in the mosque’s pulpit detonated.
According to Asif Bahadar, Maulana Nadeem is believed to have been the intended target of the attack. He sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Police have launched investigation while no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Security measures have been enhanced in the area following the incident.
The recent bomb blast in Wana Azam Warsak comes at a time when Pakistan is grappling with a surge in terrorist activities.
Earlier, Maulana Hamidul-Haq, the chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Samiul Haq (JUI-S), was martyred along with two others in a powerful suicide attack at Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
K-P government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif confirmed that the head of the religious school was among those martyred. Maulana Hamidul Haq was the son of the late Maulana Samiul Haq, considered the father of the Taliban.
Over 20 people were badly wounded as the blast tore through the main prayer hall of the madrassa as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing, and expressed sorrow over Haq’s death, in a statement issued by his office.