PESHAWAR: Following the arrest of two would-be bombers who were preparing to target Awami National Party leader Aimal Wali Khan and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the JUI-F wrote to the relevant authorities, including the top electoral body, expressing concern over terrorist threats against its leadership.
As a result, the party requested that the JUI-F leadership have more security during the election campaign, according to a Saturday story in The News.
The magazine was informed by a top Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police official that while they had not been given orders to protect a particular individual, they had increased security for people who were under threat.
The senior police officer stated that following the detention of two would-be bombers who were going to assault JUI and ANP leaders, the JUI-F leadership had requested the ECP for increased protection. The official claimed that the heads of other political parties in KP had also received appropriate security.
Maulana Asad Mahmood, the former federal minister of communications, received a security warning and danger notice from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on January 3. The police requested that Mahmood remain on high alert and restrict his movements.
In addition to keeping his movements discreet and restricted, the warning notice warned Fazl’s son Maulana Asad to stay away from public gatherings and unneeded travel due to reports of potential terrorist attacks on him or his home.
On January 12, the CTD detained two suspected suicide bombers who were supposed to target Aimal Wali Khan and Fazlur Rehman.
Reporters were informed by a CTD official that the two terrorists were apprehended from the Peshawar suburbs in two different operations. They had two suicide jackets, hand grenades, 9mm handguns, and literature about terrorism found on them.
The two terrorists detained were identified as Tahir Khan of Landikotal and Adil Khan of Matani. According to the official, the terrorists under arrest were trained in Paktia, Afghanistan, in June 2023 by Daesh militants who crossed the border.
“The held terrorists had visited the Mufti Mahmood Markaz in Peshawar a few times to learn about their plans to carry out attacks on senior politicians.”Following allegations of threats to the lives of two top politicians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the authorities last month alerted police across the nation to enhance the protection of the two individuals. The chief secretaries and police chiefs of the provinces were requested to take appropriate action for the protection of Fazl and Aimal Wali Khan in the threat notice.
