DERA ISMAEL KHAN   -  The convoy of Jamiat Ulema-e- Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was targeted in a brazen attack at the Yarik Interchange in Dera Ismail Khan, party officials said yesterday.

According to the preliminary information, the assailants opened fire on the convoy, aiming from two sides.

Fortunately, all individuals, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, emerged unharmed from the attack. The party spokesperson added that the JUI-F chief was travelling through DI Khan when his convoy came under attack near the toll plaza. In response to a query regarding Fazl’s safety, he assured that the veteran politician was safe.Fazl successfully reached his ancestral home in Abdul Khel, where he is reported to be safe. The alleged attack comes in the backdrop of repeated security concerns raised by Fazl who, on multiple occasions, has cast doubts over the staging of polls due to the “unstable” security situation in some parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. “There is no police in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, and Lakki Marwat. Can the polls be staged in this situation of unrest?” the senior politician wondered while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on December 5. Earlier this week, Fazl had warned that it would hold Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja responsible if the party’s workers came under attacks during electioneering. Fazl’s remarks came after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the caretaker government to ensure timely elections warning against any delay in the polls slated for February 8, 2024. Condemning the attack on the JUI-F chief, party leader Hafiz Hamdullah termed the incident as a nefarious move to prevent the party from taking part in the electoral process. “We have been saying ow elections can be held in such [law and order] situation,” Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said maintaining that the incident raises questions on the caretaker government’s ability to provide security. Reacting to the incident, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack on Fazl’s convoy and expressed relief over the politico’s safety.