Islamabad, March 01 (HS): A suicide bombing at a mosque in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least six people, including a prominent religious scholar, and injured at least 20, according to authorities.
The mosque is located inside the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Akora Khattak, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police said the attack occurred just after Friday prayers had concluded and appeared to target Hamid-ul-Haq, the leader of the religious political party Jamiat Ulema Islam-Sami (JUIS), who was killed.
The country’s security forces, which were shocked by the death of seven people and the injury of 17 Namazis, surrounded and killed six well-known terrorists in North Waziristan during this time.
According to The News newspaper, security forces killed six terrorists (Khawarij) in North Waziristan on Friday. On receiving information about the presence of terrorists, security forces launched an operation in the general area of Ghulam Khan Kalay in North Waziristan district and surrounded the area. After this, six Khawarij were killed in heavy firing. The terrorists were hiding in a cave here. Weapons and ammunition have also been recovered from their hideout. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has congratulated the security forces for this success. Prime Minister Sharif has also strongly condemned the Darul Uloom Haqqaniya Madrasa bomb blast. President Asif Ali Zardari, Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (Central) president Abdul Wasi, Senator Maulana Ataur Rehman, General Secretary Maulana Ataul Haq Darwesh, Information Secretary Abdul Jalil Jan, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Majlis Wahdatul, Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafri also strongly condemned the suicide bomb blast in Akora Khattak. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Samiul Haq (JUI-S) leader Maulana Hamid ul Haq Haqqani has also been killed in the suicide bomb blast at the mosque of Darul Uloom Haqqaniya Madrasa complex in Akora Khattak town. Hamid was also the deputy administrator of the madrasa. Two of the seven dead have not been identified. Officials say that the explosion was so intense that its sound was heard till Nowshera Cantonment and Jahangira Town.
Maulana Hamid’s funeral prayers will be held at Darul Uloom Haqqania today (Saturday) at 11 am. He will be buried next to the tomb of his late father. Officials say that the severed head of the alleged suicide bomber has been recovered. Provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi have termed this incident as a conspiracy of forces hostile to Islam and Pakistan.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
