NAWABSHAH, Aug 2: Three activists of a banned religious organisation were booked and one of them was arrested by the A-Section police on Friday in connection with the killing of Allama Mohammad Yakoob Qadri, deputy general secretary of the Nizam-i-Mustafa Party (NMP), on Friday.

The renowned religious scholar was gunned down by two assailants riding a motorcycle near his residence in the Mohni Bazaar area of the town on Thursday. He has left his wife, a son and two daughters.

His son, Ans Daniyal, lodged an FIR at the A-Section police station nominating Hafiz Hanif Usmani, Jaffar Azad and Mohammed Qadhafi as suspects.

He claimed that his father had led a rally organised by the Ittehad Bainul Muslimeen in the town after which he received death threats.

DSP City Aijaz Tareen said that the three nominated suspects belonged to the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan.

He also confirmed the arrest of Qadhafi and said a team had been constituted to arrest the other suspects.

Meanwhile, several thousand people, including NMP chairman and a former minister Haji Hanif Tayyab, office-bearers, leaders and members of NMP and various other religious and political parties, lawyers, doctors, journalists, besides family members and relatives of the slain scholar, took part in Allama Qadri’s funeral.

The scholar was laid to rest in a portion of Masjid Faizan-i-Tayyaba, located on Kutchehry Road, Nawabshah, on Friday. Allama Qadri had played a major role in the construction of the mosque.

A shutdown was observed across Nawabshah town on Friday in response to a call given by the NMP for mourning.

Police contingents were deployed at sensitive places to maintain law and order but there was no police deployment around the place where the funeral prayers were held although a number of prominent religious and political figures were present and several thousands people had assembled there.