At least four people, including JUI-S chief Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, lost their lives, and around a dozen others were injured in a suicide bombing at Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak, Nowshera district.
A statement from the Central Police Office confirmed that the blast, which occurred during Friday prayer timings inside the seminary’s mosque, was a suicide attack.
Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, son of the late JUI-S leader Maulana Samiul Haq Haqqani, was among those martyred.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed told local media that initial reports suggest Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani was the main target of the attack.
The bomber reportedly entered the mosque through a side gate as prayers were being offered.
Rescue teams and security personnel arrived at the scene, transporting victims to nearby hospitals.
A spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) in Peshawar confirmed that emergency services had been put on high alert to treat those injured in the attack. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack on the mosque.
JUI-S spokesperson Aslam Ghori called the explosion at Darul Uloom Haqqania a tragic and condemnable incident.
He expressed deep concern over the growing insecurity of religious institutions, adding that the public feels unheard. Ghori urged JUI workers and volunteers to provide assistance and donate blood for the injured.
Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani’s father, Maulana Samiul Haq Haqqani, was an influential religious and political figure, often referred to as “the spiritual father of the Taliban.” He was assassinated in his Rawalpindi home by unidentified attackers on November 2, 2018.