They are working silently, without getting involved in politics. However, something unusual happened on January 16 a coordinated attack was carried out to target the weekly congregation of the Tablighees in Peshawar. A bomb went off inside the Tableeghi Markaz near the Shami Road in Peshawar, exactly when the Maghrib prayers were being offered, killing eight people and injuring over 50 others.

Within a couple of hours, the bomb disposal unit (BDU) recovered and defused two more bombs planted in sleeping bags inside the building while another was defused near the Tableeghi Markaz in Nowshera before it could go off.

The terrorists chose Thursday evening for the attacks when thousands gather at the two centres for Shab-e-Juma to offer prayers and listen to sermons by the prominent scholars. The message was strong enough.

In January last year, a similar incident happened in Tableeghi Markaz in Swat on Thursday evening, killing at least 22 people and injuring scores of others. However, there was no attack on the group till the planting of four bombs simultaneously in Peshawar and Nowshera.

Investigators are probing the bombing and recovery of explosives from various other angles as well after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan denied its involvement in the Tableeghi Markaz bombing. Some intelligence reports have suspected the TTP Swat chapter can be involved in the attack since one such incident had already happened in Swat last year. The report also did not rule out the role of foreign hands. 

"The explosives used in the bombing are of fine quality, not like those used in the recent bombings in different parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of the BDU Shafqat Malik told The News on Sunday. Unlike the past incident, there were no shrapnel or ball bearings used in the bomb.

There were many questions raised after the TTP distanced itself from the Tableeghi Markaz bombing. Some political leaders while condemning the attack suspected the involvement of a foreign country in the bombing. The very next day, the envoy of that country issued an unusual statement -- he offered help in probing the attack.

The history of the Tableeghi Jamaat shows the outfit never remained involved in any kind of violence or hate speeches. The members of the group never talked of politics or of using force to implement Islam in the country or anywhere in the world. The only thing they have been doing is preaching Islam politely and silently. "We only talk of Allah and his Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). We believe that our miseries will end once we will follow Islam in its true spirit as directed by Allah and guided by the Prophet," said Abdul Shakoor, a senior member of the Tableeghi Jamaat.

The elders of the group instead of discussing other issues, only invited those visiting them after the blast to attend their gatherings and spend more and more time. Chief Minister of the province Pervez Khattak along with his ministers and other officials had to make a promise with the elders to be visiting them frequently to attend their gatherings.

Hundreds of thousands attend the three-day annual gathering of the group at Raiwind, normally in November every year. Smaller gatherings are also held at different other places while regular gatherings are held every Thursday evening at the respective markaz of a city.

Those associated with the group were never openly threatened and that was why no formal security was arranged so far. After the blast, for the first time policemen were deployed at the gate of the Tableeghi Markaz and a walk-through gate installed at the entrance.

Earlier, volunteers of the Tableeghi Jamaat used to arrange for their own security (with no arms). Groups of volunteers from different areas are assigned normally for one week or month to look after security, taking care of vehicles, motorbikes and cycles in the parking lot and managing other affairs. The huge building of the Markaz is simply built with a mosque, a seminary, parking lot and other facilities inside it.

From now onwards, police is to perform duty at the entrance as well as in and around the Tableeghi Markaz so no innocent people are killed in future.

The writer is former president of the Khyber Union of Journalists and can be contacted at javedaziz1@gmail.com and followed on twitter @JavedAzizKhan