Maulana Samiul Haq laid to rest

NA Speaker Asad Qaiser, Governor K-P Shah Farman, Maulana Fazlur Rehman were among those who attended the funeral

PESHAWAR:

Chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) Maulana Samiul Haq was on Saturday laid to rest in his hometown, Darul Uloom Haqqania, Akora Khattak.

The funeral was attended by members of political parties, religious scholars and lawmakers. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan and JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman were among the thousands of people who attended the JUI-S chief’s funeral prayers.

The prayers were led by his son Maulana Hamidul Haq.



Haq was assassinated in a knife attack at his residence in Rawalpindi on Friday evening. He was 80.

The K-P government also declared a day of mourning following the assassination.

Prayers for the slain leader were offered at the Khushal Khan Degree College ground after the body was shifted to his hometown overnight.

A 65-member Afghan delegation also paid last respects.

Strict security measures were adopted with police deployed at different points in and around Darul Uloom Haqqania.

Traffic was suspended on one side of the road so that people arriving to attend the funeral prayers could move easily. However, the other side of the road remained open.

Attendees had to undergo security checks before entering the facility. The bomb disposal unit was also called to clear the area before the funeral prayers.



Investigation

Investigators have collected evidence from the crime scene and detained the driver and the gunman of the late JUI-S chief.

A first information report (FIR) of the murder of the JUI-S chief has been registered at the airport police station on the complaint of his son Maulana Hamid.

According to the FIR registered under sections 302 and 304 of the Pakistan Penal Code, the Maulana received some 12 wounds on his shoulders, chest, ear and forehead.

Police spokesperson Imran Kazmi said that forensic laboratory workers and investigation officers had collected evidence from the room, where Haq was assassinated. They lifted fingerprints from some of the items in the room and had also collected CCTV footage from the housing society's record room.

Earlier, Haq’s family had turned down the request to perform an autopsy. (With input from APP)