September 17, 2007	Monday	Ramazan 04, 1428

PESHAWAR, Sept 16: Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of the slain religious leader Maulana Hassan Jan on Sunday and some of them forced Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani to leave the prayer venue.

Witnesses said that when Mr Sherpao and Mr Durrani entered the Qayyum Stadium where the prayers were to be offered, a large number of mourners started shouting slogans against the government to express their anger over Saturday’s assassination of Maulana Jan in the city’s Wazir Bagh area.

They started hurling shoes in the direction of Mr Sherpao and Mr Durrani, who were immediately escorted to their vehicles. The protesters also smashed windowpanes and railings of the stadium.

Maulana Jan’s son Hafizul Hassan led the funeral prayers. The late Maulana was laid to rest in the Chamkani village.

Provincial chief of Jamaat-i-Islami Sirajul Haq and MNA Shabbir Ahmad Khan have condemned the murder, saying lives of important personalities had became insecure due to wrong policies of the government.

In a joint statement, they called upon the NWFP government to hold an inquiry into the murder through a high court judge and bring the culprits to justice.

They also condemned the performance of police force.