According to Police Officer Asif Bahader, the improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in the pulpit of Maulana Abdul Aziz Mosque on Azam Warsak Bypass Road and detonated at 1:45 pm.
“In the explosion, Abdullah Nadeem, the district chief of JUI, was seriously wounded,” he stated. “Three others, also belonging to the JUI, have sustained minor injuries.”
A police statement identified the injured as Rehmanullah, Mullah Noor, and Shah Behran. DPO Bahader confirmed that all injured individuals were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for immediate medical treatment.
“The police have also reached the site of the blast and are collecting evidence,” he added, noting that an investigation was underway.
According to District Police Spokesman Habib Islam, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
“Maulana Abdullah had been receiving death threats for quite some time,” he revealed. “He was also attacked about seven or eight months ago.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of the enemy”.
“The sanctity of the mosque was violated during the holy month of Ramazan,” he stated. “The beasts who carried out this attack deserve no concessions.”
He also prayed for the swift recovery of Maulana Abdullah and the other injured victims.
Meanwhile, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman strongly condemned the blast at a mosque in South Waziristan, denouncing the attack as a grave violation of the sanctity of both the holy month of Ramazan and the place of worship.
Expressing his sorrow over the incident, the cleric-politician stressed the need for the government and security institutions to take the nation into confidence regarding the deteriorating law and order situation, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
He lamented that the escalating unrest in these regions was repeatedly overlooked in both houses of Parliament, despite its severity.
The JUI-F chief also prayed for the swift recovery of Maulana Abdullah Nadeem and other injured victims of the attack.