- Targeting innocent people in worship place is an inhumane act: CM Gandapur
- President, PM Shehbaz, Interior Minister, JUI-F chief and KP governor condemn ‘heinous act of targeting worshippers’
- Such cowardly and heinous acts of terrorism can’t dampen our resolve against terrorism: PM
AKORA KHATTAK: A suicide blast killed six worshippers, including JUI-S leader Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, and injured 20 others at the mosque of Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district, KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed confirmed on Friday.
“Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, the son of the late Maulana Samiul Haq and head of Darul Uloom Haqqania was among those killed, said KP government spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif.
The KP IG Police said that the blast tore through the mosque of the Darul Uloom as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, confirming it was a suicide blast.
“Three policemen were also injured in the attack,” Hameed said.
While speaking to a private TV, the KP IG said it appeared Haqqani was the target of the suicide blast.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
“He was a great religious scholar whose immense services to Islam are unforgettable,” said Advisor to KP Chief Minister Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif in a statement.
“Maulana Hamidul Haq’s martyrdom is an irreparable loss.”
According to the Directorate of Public Relations KP Police, 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.
Rescue officials transported the injured to nearby hospitals while the provincial 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.
Condemnations pouring in
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, adding that “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 bombing, and expressed sorrow over Maulana Haq’s death, said a statement issued by his office. He prayed for the early recovery of injured and directed best medical facilities be provided 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.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, while denouncing the blast, expressed deep sorrow and regret over the loss of precious human lives, according to the interior ministry’s post on X.
“[He] extends heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of the martyrs, prays for the speedy recovery of the injured, including Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani.”
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also sought a report of the incident from higher authorities, calling the explosion a “conspiracy of hostile forces”.
“I don’t know how long the province will bear the consequences of the incompetence and collusion of the provincial government,” he stated, adding it was “important to get rid of the rulers who harbour terrorists in the province”.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government also condemned the blast, AFP reported.
“We strongly condemn the attack, we know them as the enemies of the religion, we have tried our best to eliminate them successfully,” said Afghan interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani, blaming the attack that has not yet been claimed on the Islamic State group.
Meanwhile, JUI Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman strongly condemned blast in Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak and the martyrdom of Maulana Hamidul Haq and others.
Maulana Fazl made telephonic contact with Maulana Hamidul Haq’s cousin Hafiz Salmanul Haq from Medina and expressed condolences with the victim families.
Fazl said that attack on Darul Uloom Haqqania and Maulana Hamidul Haq is an attack on his house and madrassa. JUI condemned the terrorists who violated the sanctity of humanity, mosques, madrassas, Friday and the arrival of the month of Ramazan.
Mosques and places of worship have been targeted in terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa in the past too.
On January 30, 2023, a blast inside a mosque shook Peshawar’s Police Lines area, with officials saying that at least 59 people were killed and 157 were injured.
The explosion ripped through the mosque in Peshawar’s Red Zone area where between 300 and 400 people — mostly police officers — had gathered for prayers. The suicide blast blew away the wall of the prayer hall and an inner roof.
This toll rose to 101 two days later, the KP health department said in a statement.
