Series of attacks on JUI-F figures intensifies in Pakistan’s tribal belt

Islamabad – The killing of Maulana Muhammad Ismail adds to a growing list of violent incidents targeting JUI‑F leaders in Pakistan’s tribal regions. Earlier this year, former JUI‑F legislator Maulana Muhammad Idris was assassinated in Charasada after a gun‑fire barrage on his vehicle while he was delivering a sermon. In January, a bomb blast near a madrasa in Wana market wounded JUI‑F leader Maulana Sultan Muhammad Wazir, who later succumbed to his injuries. Authorities say the recent murder of Maulana Ismail in South Waziristan underscores a worrying trend of attacks on religious and political personalities linked to the party.