Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on Sunday said firing occurred near vehicles part of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s convoy in Dera Ismail Khan but the politician was not present when the incident occurred.
“Vehicles of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s convoy went to the Yarak area for refueling when the incident occurred,” District Police Officer (DPO) Rauf Kesrani told Dawn.com.
“Maulana Fazlur Rehman was not present,” he said without providing any further details.
The development comes days after the interior ministry warned that there were serious threats to the lives of the Maulana and Awami National Party provincial president Aimal Wali Khan.
In a statement, JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri termed today’s incident a “cowardly act”.
“They have repeatedly warned that the situation is not favorable for our leadership. The administration writes letters about the threats every day, but does not take any action,” he said.
He said the incident should be immediately investigated, questioning why security institutions were not fulfilling their responsibility.
“The law and order situation in KP and Balochistan is getting worse day by day,” Ghauri said.
Meanwhile, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani phoned the Maulana’s son and condemned the attack. He also prayed for the JUI-F chief’s well-being.
Additional input by Nadir Guramani