JUI-S chief among six martyred in Nowshera suicide blast

At least six people, including JUI-S leader Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, were killed and 15 injured when a suicide blast ripped through the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district, according to officials.

The blast tore through the main prayer hall of the madressah as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, KP Police Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed confirmed to the media. “It was a suicide blast. Three policemen were also injured in the attack,” Hameed said.

A statement from the Directorate of Public Relations KP Police said that the blast occurred at 2pm, adding that police and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the site of the incident.

In a statement issued by the office of the hospital director, six people were killed in the attack, while at least 15 were injured.

However, according to a Rescue 1122 statement issued after 5pm, the number of people injured in the attack was around 20.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

“He was a great religious scholar whose immense services to Islam are unforgettable,” said Adviser to KP Chief Minister Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif in a statement.

“Maulana Hamidul Haqa’s Martyrdom is an irreparable loss.”

Rescue officials transported the injured to nearby hospitals. The KP government declared an emergency in all hospitals and health facilities across Peshawar, about 70km away from Nowshera by road.

“The presence of medical staff and necessary medicines be ensured,” read a statement from the KP commissioner’s office.

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur ordered an immediate report on the incident and directed officials to “provide the best medical facilities” to the wounded.

“Targeting innocent people in a place of worship is an inhumane act,” Gandapur said, adding that “all available resources should be used to bring the elements involved in the heartbreaking incident to justice.”

Haqqani, the son of assassinated cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, served as vice chancellor of the Darul Uloom Haqqania and chairman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) political party. He previously served as a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007.

Last year, Haqqani led a delegation of religious scholars to Afghanistan for “religious diplomacy” meetings with Taliban leaders. He had said the visit helped reduce tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.

According to the madressah’s website, it was founded by Maulana Abdul Haq Haqqani, an Islamic scholar, in September 1947.

The seminary has faced controversy in the past as its students have been accused of involvement in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The madressah has, however, denied having any connection with the suspects.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the “heinous act of targeting worshippers in (a) suicide attack”, according to a statement from the President’s House.

“Targeting innocent worshippers is a despicable and heinous act,” he said. “Terrorists are enemies of the country, nation and humanity.”

He expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the incident and prayed for the recovery of Maulana Haq and others who were injured, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

He directed that the best medical facilities be administered to the injured and sought a report of the incident.

“Such cowardly and heinous acts of terrorism cannot dampen our resolve against terrorism,” the PM said. “(We are) resolute to completely eradicate all forms of terrorism from the country.”