Prominent religious scholar and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) leader Maulana Sultan, who was injured in an explosion in the Wana area of South Waziristan on Friday, succumbed to his wounds, family sources said on Saturday.

According to the family, Maulana Sultan breathed his last at the Mufti Mahmood Hospital in Dera Ismail Khan, where he was shifted for treatment following the blast.

Police said that Maulana Sultan was critically injured in the explosion near a madrassa in the Konra China area of Wana.

The incident occurred when he was returning home from the seminary and was caught in the blast.

He was immediately taken to Dera Ismail Khan in critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Besides being a well-known religious figure, Maulana Sultan was a senior leader of the JUI in Waziristan and an office-bearer of Wifaq-ul-Madaris in the region.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed deep grief over Maulana Sultan’s death, saying the news had caused immense sorrow.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman demanded an immediate investigation into the incident and called for exemplary punishment for those responsible.

He said the worsening law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan was deeply alarming, adding that the state had failed to protect its citizens.