Prominent religious figure shot dead in Islamabad

A leader of Sunni Ulema Council Pakistan and prominent religious figure Allama Masoodur Rehman Usmani was killed during an attack on Friday in Islamabad.

A spokesperson has confirmed that armed individuals opened fire on Usmani's vehicle in Ghauri Town which resulted in the tragic demise of the religious figure.

Upon receiving reports of the incident, a significant police presence swiftly arrived at the scene. The body of the deceased has been transported to PIMS Hospital for further examination.

The spokesperson stated the funeral prayer would take place today in front of Parliament House.

Allama Masoodur Rehman Usmani's body, postmortem completed at PIMS, was moved to Rahmani Masjid in Aabpara Chowk.

The body will remain at Rahmani Masjid until Saturday afternoon, with the funeral prayer scheduled for 2pm at Express Chowk, Parliament House.

Confirming the identity of the victim, Islamabad Police spokesperson, in a statement said that the suspects involved in the attack will be apprehended soon and brought to justice.He said that the perpetrators are being traced with the help of CCTV cameras, adding that one person was also injured during the firing.

Soon after the incident, the members of Sunni Ulema Council gathered outside the PIMS Hospital and started protesting, after which additional police personnel arrived.

The incident marks another instance of religious figures being targeted in the recent past. A day earlier, a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) candidate for the general elections survived a bomb attack when his vehicle was targeted with a remote-controlled device in Bajaur.

Khairullah’s vehicle was damaged as a result of the blast, but fortunately, the JUI-F leader remained unharmed.

On Monday, three workers of Sunni Tehreek were seriously injured when unidentified suspects opened fire with automatic weapons on the party’s office in Karachi’s Moosa Colony.

On December 31, the convoy of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was targeted in a brazen attack at the Yarik Interchange in Dera Ismail Khan.

The assailants opened fire on the convoy, aiming from two sides, according to preliminary information. Fortunately, all individuals, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, emerged unharmed from the attack.