Religious scholar killed in South Waziristan bomb blast

ISLAMABAD: A religious scholar was killed on Monday in a suspected bomb attack at a market in South Waziristan district, police said, in the latest incident of violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The explosion occurred on the ground floor of a supermarket in Rustam Bazaar in Wana, the main town of Lower South Waziristan, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asghar Ali Shah said.

The victim, identified as Mufti Jana Mir Masti Khel, sustained critical injuries in the blast and was taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana, where he later died, Shah told Dawn.

Police cordoned off the area after the explosion and collected forensic evidence from the scene.

Preliminary investigations suggested that an improvised explosive device, believed to be a pressure bomb, had been planted to target the religious scholar, Shah said.

credit: X @Al_Waziiri

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to identify those responsible and determine the motive behind the attack.

Senior journalist Tahir Khan said on X that Masti Khel was regarded as an influential religious figure in the area.

“Besides serving as a government school teacher, he frequently participated in local tribal jirgas to help resolve tribal and land disputes,” he said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The blast came a day after a suicide bombing targeted Kabal police station in the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing 17 people, including police personnel, and wounding 19 others.

Police said the station’s main gate was partially damaged in the explosion.

Swat District Police Officer Mohammad Omar Khan said investigators had recovered the suspected bomber’s head from the scene and that preliminary findings indicated the attacker was an Afghan national.