Source/Credit: The Telegraph | UK
By Dean Nelson, Ashfaq Yusufzai | March 31, 2011
At least thirteen people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of one of Pakistan's most influential Islamic parties and a long-standing ally of the Afghan Taliban movement.
A further 21 were injured in the explosion, which was detonated by a man who walked towards Mr Rehman's convoy as he travelled to a political rally in Charsadda, Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, close to the Afghan border. Mr Rehman and his companions were unharmed.
It was the second suicide bomb attack on the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) leader in two days. Twelve people were also killed on Wednesday when a suicide bomber on a motorbike attacked a crowd waiting for Mr Rehman to address a rally in Swabi.
The JUI-F chief, a former leader of the opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly, has been a consistent supporter of upholding Islamic laws in Pakistan, including the controversial blasphemy laws, and a constant critic of American drone attack on militants in the country's tribal areas close to the Afghan border. He is also believed to be close to some pro-Islamabad Taliban factions.
Despite his apparent credibility among Pakistan's ruthless Taliban groups, suspicions have mounted that he is close to the Americans and played a key role in isolating Taliban forces ahead of the 2009 Pakistan Army offensive against them.
Suspicions were further raised after American diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks claimed he had sought US support for his bid to become Pakistan's prime minister and offered his services to them as a mediator to arrange talks with Afghanistan's Taliban. He had sought meetings with US officials in India to avoid suspicion and militant threats in Pakistan.
As his convoy drove towards a rally in Charsadda yesterday, a lone attacker jumped into the road and detonated a bomb.
"At least 13 people were martyred including four police officials and 42 others were wounded in the suicide bombing," said senior administration official Ajmal Khan.
The bombing was condemned in a statement by the United States embassy in Islamabad as an attack on democracy in Pakistan: "Today's atrocity is the second in as many days believed to have targeted the leader of a political party. Yet again, Pakistani citizens and Pakistan's democracy have been viciously attacked by terrorists who have no respect for the norms of civilisation."
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