SOUTH WAZIRISTAN (MNN); A senior leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning after being critically wounded in a bomb explosion near a religious seminary in the Wana bazaar area.
Police said a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in the Konra Cheena area near a madrassah to target Maulana Sultan Muhammad Wazir, who also served as the district president of Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia. He was rushed to Dera Ismail Khan for medical treatment but died on the way.
Lower South Waziristan District Police Officer Muhammad Tahir Shah Wazir confirmed that investigations were underway. He said law enforcement agencies were reviewing all possible angles, while evidence collected from the blast site was being analysed to identify those responsible.
The attack is the latest in a series of assaults on religious scholars and JUI-F leaders in South Waziristan, particularly in Wana and Birmal tehsil, over the past two years.
In a statement on X, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed deep sorrow over Sultan’s killing, calling him a devoted and courageous leader. He said the incident was not just an attack on an individual but an assault on moderate, peaceful and democratic thought.
Fazlur Rehman said that following incidents in Bajaur, the repeated targeting of peace-oriented religious scholars in sensitive regions such as South Waziristan reflected a deeply troubling trend. He recalled that in March 2025, the JUI-F emir of South Waziristan was seriously injured in a bomb blast and remains under treatment in Multan.
He also noted that former district president Maulana Mirza Jan Wazir, who was wounded in a terrorist attack in June 2024, later passed away due to his injuries.
The JUI-F chief said attacks on scholars who promote moderation, tolerance and constitutional struggle were alarming and highlighted serious lapses in security. He urged the relevant institutions to fulfil their constitutional responsibilities by ensuring peace, protecting religious scholars and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Fazlur Rehman said the JUI-F would continue its struggle for peace, religious harmony, democratic values and constitutional supremacy, regardless of the sacrifices involved.
Peace Committee Chief Targeted in Separate Blast
In a separate incident, a suspected IED explosion targeted the vehicle of peace committee chief Qadeem Khan in the Barwand area of Servekai tehsil in South Waziristan.
Upper South Waziristan DPO Arshad Khan said the vehicle was badly damaged, but Qadeem Khan escaped with minor injuries. Police and security personnel quickly cordoned off the area and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital.
Police said initial investigations confirmed the use of an IED and that a search operation had been launched to arrest those behind the attack.
