At least five worshippers including a top cleric have died and dozens more were injured after a powerful bomb exploded at a mosque within a pro-Taliban seminary in north-western Pakistan ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan, according to local police.
The blast occurred at the Jamia Haqqania seminary in Akkora Khattak, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Abdul Rashid, a district police chief said.
Hamidul Haq, who is the head of a faction of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI) party, is among the dead.
Mr Rashid said officers are investigating, and the dead and wounded are being transported to hospital.
A top cleric was among the victims (AP)
The family of Mr Haq confirmed he was killed in Friday’s attack and appealed to his followers to remain peaceful. He was in charge of the Jamia Haqqania seminary, where many Afghan Taliban had studied in the past two decades.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered authorities to provide the best possible treatment to the wounded.
Zulfiqar Hameed, the provincial police chief, said Mr Haq was the target of the suicide bombing.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The bombing came ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to start either on Saturday or Sunday subject to the sighting of the moon.