PESHAWAR: One person was killed and six others injured in a blast triggered by an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a senior leader of a prominent religio-political party in South Waziristan district on Sunday, leaving him in critical condition, police said.
The attack on Maulana Shehzad Wazir comes amid complaints from his Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party about being targeted by militants operating in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also voiced concerns over militant threats disrupting the party’s election campaign in the region ahead of the February 8 national polls, citing warnings from law enforcement about dangers to its candidates.
“The IED was planted in a street leading to Maulana Shehzad Wazir’s mosque, who is politically affiliated with the JUI-F,” Bilal Wazir, a police officer in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan tribal district, told Arab News over the phone. “Mufti Ijaz Wazir died on the spot while six others, including Maulana Shehzad Wazir, who was apparently the target of the attack, were left in critical condition.”
The officer said a police contingent was dispatched to the area soon after the explosion to gather evidence and shift the wounded to the hospital.
Asked about the intensity of the blast, he said it shook the entire neighborhood of Azam Warsak, a settlement on the outskirts of Wana.
Speaking to Arab News, Mufti Ijaz Shinwari, the JUI senior vice president in the tribal area, condemned the incident, saying the victims of the attack were religious leaders and key figures of his political party on the provincial level.
“This is inhumane,” he added. “This is clearly a terrorist attack and a cowardly act.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group, has a history of targeting civilians, security forces and politicians in the region, aiming to perpetuate instability in KP.
In recent months, the TTP has claimed responsibility for several attacks and is suspected by officials in others.
Earlier this week, however, Daesh, a separate militant outfit, shot dead Hameed Sufi, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, in the adjacent Bajaur tribal district.
In June, four people, including Maulana Mirza Jan, the president of JUI’s Wana chapter, were shot by unidentified attackers.
Pakistan claims Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are providing shelter to TTP fighters across the porous border separating the two countries. However, the Afghan Taliban insists they do not allow anyone to use their soil to launch violent attacks in the neighborhood.
 

RIYADH: The third edition of the World Defense Show, scheduled to take place in Riyadh from Feb. 8-12, 2026, has secured a record number of participants, with more than 100 companies from China confirmed to take part.

Notably, the China Pavilion has already filled 88 percent of its exhibition space, making it the second-largest national presence at the event, surpassing even the host nation, Saudi Arabia.

This strong participation underscores the growing global appeal of the show. Since its debut, WDS has seen impressive growth, with exhibition space expanding by 54 percent between 2022 and 2026, more than doubling its size. As of now, over 50 percent of the total floor space for WDS 2026 has already been sold.

The announcement follows the successful conclusion of the second edition of WDS, which hosted 773 exhibitors from 76 countries, facilitated SR 26 billion ($6.9 billion) in deals, and attracted 106,000 trade visits.

“The significant interest and commitment from Chinese exhibitors is a testament to the prominence WDS holds in the global defense space,” said Andrew Pearcey, CEO of World Defense Show.

“Our goal is to bring together global and local stakeholders to advance networking opportunities, strengthen global knowledge-sharing, and shape the future of defense technology,” he said.

The high level of interest from Chinese firms was also evident at the 15th Airshow China in Zhuhai, held from Nov. 12-17. Senior WDS representatives attended the event to engage with potential exhibitors, offering them the opportunity to secure their space at WDS 2026, which is rapidly filling up.