Nowshera suicide blast: Haqqani madrassa's Maulana Hamid laid to rest

• Afghan diplomat, large number of people attend funeral prayers.
• CTD registers case under Anti-Terrorism Act; probe underway.
• Head and face of suicide bomber intact, will aid in investigation: IG.
  

NOWSHERA: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) Emir and Darul Uloom Haqqania's vice administrator Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani was laid to rest on Saturday after being martyred in a suicide blast a day earlier.

Maulana Hamid, son of late Maulana Sami-ul-Haq Haqqani, was buried next to his father at the seminary following funeral prayers attended by ex-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Ghulam Ali, former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Afghan counsel general and a large number of scholars and students.

At least seven other people died other than Maulana Hamid and 18 others were wounded in a suicide attack shortly after Friday prayers had culminated at the Darul Uloom Haqqania mosque in Akora Khattak.

The cleric, according to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed, was the target of the deadly terrorist attack and succumbed to his injuries while undergoing emergency medical treatment.

The seminary in question is home to roughly 4,000 students who are fed, clothed and educated for free.

Security arrangements at the mosque include the presence of several policemen and a police mobile van, while seminary workers monitor visitors.

The mosque is situated at the centre of Darul Uloom Haqqania, with Dar-ul-Hadees adjacent. It is a large building where senior students pursue their studies. Nearby, there are hostels and residential quarters.

With the attack warranting widespread criticism from the country's leadership including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others, IG Hameed, as reported by The News, has revealed the head and face of the suicide bomber are intact, which will aid in the investigation.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, however, the involvement of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cannot be ruled out along with the suspected involvement of Daesh.

The KP IG further noted that 17 policemen were deployed for security of the seminary while six cops were separately deployed with Maulana Hamid.

Case registered, samples sent to Nadra

Meanwhile, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has registered a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act on behalf of Maulana Hamid's son, Abdul Haq Sani, against unidentified suspects.

Seeking the public's assistance concerning the identification of the suicide bomber, the CTD has announced a reward of Rs500,000 for anyone providing key information in this regard.

According to security sources, initial reports suggest that the suicide attack was carried out by terrorists affiliated with Fitna al-Khawarij, targeting Maulana Hamid.

The cleric, added the sources, had declared the restriction on women's education as un-Islamic, due to which he had also received threats.

The explosion shows that the outlawed TTP has no connection to religion, nor do its followers and facilitators, noted the sources.

Furthermore, with the authorities dispatching the suicide bomber's samples to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) for further analysis, investigation teams have obtained CCTV footage from different places.

The sources have said that the suicide bomber had even met Maulana Hamid near the stairs as he left the mosque for his home. Investigators are now looking into how the attacker even managed to reach the stairs.