Peshawar, May 6:
A prominent cleric, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Idrees, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said on Tuesday. The attackers on motorcycles ambushed his vehicle in Charsadda district as he was heading to deliver a lecture, critically injuring two security guards who were with him. Idrees later died in hospital.
Police said initial investigations suggest it was a targeted killing carried out by four militants, with surveillance footage obtained to identify the suspects. A search operation is underway, and authorities have launched a manhunt. No group has claimed responsibility.
The killing sparked protests, with locals blocking roads and demanding swift arrests. Senior officials, including the provincial police chief, ordered urgent action and condemned the attack.
Idrees was a senior religious scholar and district leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F). Political leaders, including Pakistan’s president and prime minister, condemned the murder and expressed condolences, calling for justice and stronger action against rising militancy in the region.