least seven people, including JUI-S leader Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, were killed  

At least seven people, including JUI-S leader Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, were killed and 15 injured when a suicide blast ripped through the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district, according to officials. 

A statement from the Directorate of Public Relations KP Police said that the blast occurred at 2pm, adding that police and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the site of the incident. 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed told media that Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani, the son of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq Haqqani, was the target of the attack.

Maulana Hamid, the vice administrator of Darul Uloom Haqqania and emir of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S), succumbed to his injuries as he was undergoing emergency medical treatment, the IGP said.

Hameed said that police teams were present at the site of the explosion, and a search operation was also underway in the surroundings. Forensics and investigation teams dispatched to the incident site, and the district police officer was also present there, the IGP said.

The mosque is located inside the compound of the madrassa, whose students were set to go on leave, as it marked the final day of their academic year.The sprawling campus 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 administration and medical staff of Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) were directed to remain prepared for receiving casualties.

The hospital spokesperson said a high alert and emergency had been declared at the medical facility to deal with any situation.

The latest reports suggest that the blast took place near the gate of the mosque from where Maulana Hamid was returning to his residence.

The bodies of four deceased have been kept at the Qazi Hussain Ahmed Medical Complex, while the other injured are receiving treatment. Meanwhile, Hamid’s body is at Nowshera CMH.

However, according to a Rescue 1122 statement issued after 5pm, the number of people injured in the attack was around 20.