At least three people were killed and 20 were injured after a blast ripped thorugh the Darul Uloom Haqqania in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district. Rescue 1122 officials reached the site of the incident and police have begun a probe. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi told  that“At least 20 people have been injured and have been taken to hospital.” The blast occurred during Friday  prayers in the main hall of the madressah. An emergency has been declared in all hospitals and heal

th facilities across Peshawar by the KP Health Department with immediate effect, according to a statement. “I am directed to state that in wake of recent bomb blast in Dara ul Uloom Haqqania, District Nowshera, medical/ health Emergency may be declared in all the Hospital/Health Facilities of Peshawar Division with immediate effect,” according to the statement from the secretary to the commissioner. “Furthermore, presence of medical staff and necessary medicines be ensured please.”

 KP’s Inspector General, Zulfiqar Hameed, told  that, “It appears to be a suicide blast, as per initial investigations. Some are injured and some are among the martyrs.” “It appears that Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani was the target,” the KP IG. Maulana Haqqani, the elder son of the assassinated Maulana Samiul Haq, is the chief of JUI-S. He is a politician and Islamic scholar, served as a member of the National Assembly from November 2002 to 2007.

He also served as the vice chancellor of the Jamia Darul Uloon Haqqania and chairman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Sami) after his father’s assassination. Last year, he led a delegation of Pakistan religious scholar to Afghanistan as a part of “religious diplomacy”, where he met Taliban leaders. In an interview, Hamid had said that the visit helped remove the mistrust between Islamabad and Kabul.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)