A senior JUI-F leader succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning after being critically wounded in a bomb blast near a madressah in the Wana bazaar area.
Police said on Friday that a remote-controlled IED was planted in the Konra Cheena area near a religious seminary to target Maulana Sultan Muhammad Wazir, who was also the district president of Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia.
He was immediately taken to Dera Ismail Khan for medical treatment but breathed his last on the way.
The attack on Maulana Sultan is the latest in a series of incidents targeting religious scholars and JUI-F leaders in South Waziristan, particularly in Wana and the Birmal tehsil, over the past two years.
In a statement posted on X, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed his deep grief on Sultan’s death, describing him as a “devoted and courageous leader”.
“This incident is not merely an attack on an individual but an assault on the moderate, peaceful, and democratic ideology,” he said, asserting that the JUI-F was the “flag-bearer” of these values.
“Following Bajaur, the targeting of freedom-loving and peace-advocating scholars in regions carrying deep religious significance like South Waziristan marks a deeply alarming pattern,” he said.
Fazl called on the “institutions responsible for national security” to recognise their constitutional and moral obligations; ensure the establishment of peace and the effective protection of scholars across the country, particularly in the tribal districts; and fulfil the demands for justice by meting out punishment to the elements involved in these tragic incidents.
Separately, a suspected IED blast targeted the vehicle of peace committee chief Qadeem Khan in the Barwand area of South Waziristan’s Servekai tehsil.
Upper South Waziristan DPO Arshad Khan said that the vehicle sustained significant damage in the attack, but the peace committee chief escaped with minor injuries.
Police sources said security personnel reached the site immediately, cordoned off the area, and shifted the injured leader to a local hospital.
In another tragic incident, a police constable was martyred in a targeted attack while on his way home in the evening. The constable, identified as Nazim son of Qasim Shadiyo, was traveling when two motorcyclists opened fire on him. The constable sustained critical bullet injuries and was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
In another targeted attack, unidentified militants on Saturday blew up a private mobile company’s tower in the Baka Khel area here using explosives.
Police reported that the blast was powerful enough to be heard from a considerable distance, causing panic and fear among local residents.
The explosion caused severe damage to the mobile tower, raising concerns over disruptions to communication services in the area.
Security forces immediately cordoned off the site and launched a search operation.
Police and relevant authorities are investigating the incident to identify and apprehend those responsible.
A Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police official was martyred after being shot by unknown assailants in the Mamond tehsil of Bajaur on Saturday.
According to police, the incident occurred in the Mina area of Mamond. The martyred was identified as a resident of Mina village. Soon after the attack, the police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.