Religious scholar and head of Karachi's Jamia Farooqia seminary Maulana Dr Adil Khan, who was shot dead along with his driver in a suspected targeted attack a day earlier, was laid to rest on Sunday.

A large number of people, including religious scholars, politicians and students of the seminary, attended the funeral prayers that were led by the deceased scholar's brother Maulana Ubaidullah Khan at Jamia Farooqia phase two.

Strict security arrangements were made for the prayers, which were also attended by several prominent figures, including Senator Abdul Ghafoor Hyderi, Mufti Taqi Usmani, Maulana Rafi Usmani, Maulana Mohammad Hanif Jalandhari and Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro.

Maulana Adil was buried next to his father, prominent scholar Maulana Saleemullah Khan, who founded the Jamia Farooqia, located in Shah Faisal Colony.

Meanwhile, Sindh Assembly member Maulana Umar Sadiq urged people to remain calm and maintain unity.

"We will defeat plots [aiming to create] sectarianism," he said, terming Maulana Adil's death a "huge loss".

According to a police statement, pillion riders opened indiscriminate fire on Maulana Adil's car on Saturday evening as it stopped near a shopping centre in Shah Faisal Colony to purchase sweets.

Maulana Adil’s aide Umair, who had left the vehicle to purchase sweets from the shop, remained unhurt.

Dr Adil was shifted to the Liaquat National Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival, according to hospital spokesperson Anjum Rizvi.

His driver, Maqsood Ahmed, was also declared dead on arrival at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), said Dr Seemin Jamali, the hospital's executive director.

Ahmed was also laid to rest on Sunday.

Maulana Adil had done PhD in religious studies and had taught in Malaysia also before returning to Karachi a few years ago after the death of his father Maulana Saleemullah, who had remained a student of Darul Uloom Deoband in India.

Investigation underway

An investigation of the incident is underway to determine the motive behind the murder and the identity of the killers.

Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) incharge Raja Umer Khattab had earlier told the media that three people were involved in the attack. Two of the culprits, Khattab said, got off the bike near the spot where Dr Adil's car was parked, while the third suspect rode to the other side of the road.

The killers used 9mm pistols, he said, adding that the casings of spent shells had been sent to a forensic lab.

Additional Inspector General of Police, Ghulam Nabi Memon, however, refused to provide details of the probe, saying that the police were "looking into this case from different angles and it is too early to comment".

Meanwhile, CTD Deputy IG Omar Shahid Hamid said all possible aspects of the incident were being investigated and nothing can be ruled out at this stage.

'Indian design to destabilise Pakistan'

Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a tweet late Saturday, termed Maulana Adil's targeted killing "condemnable", saying for the last three months, his government had been aware of "India's attempts to target kill [scholars] from Sunni and Shia sects to create sectarian conflict across the country".

"We have prevented a number of such attempts preemptively in [the] last few months. Our intelligence organisations and law enforcement agencies will nab culprits of this murder also," the premier said.

He called upon the ulema belonging to all sects to "ensure people do not fall prey to this nefarious Indian design to destabilise Pakistan".

Expressing grief on the assassination, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa "strongly condemned" the incident and said it was an attempt "by Pakistan’s enemies to foment unrest".

The scholar's murder was also condemned by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and party vice president Maryam Nawaz, both of whom demanded that the culprits be arrested quickly.

In a statement posted on PML-N's Twitter account, former premier Nawaz said that Dr Adil's loss is a "huge shock" for those campaigning for sectarian harmony.

Meanwhile, Maryam said that the late scholar's murder was an "ugly conspiracy against sectarian harmony".

In a tweet posted on her personal account, Maryam termed Dr Adil's killing as a "national loss".

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of and condemned the incident, saying some miscreants wanted to "sabotage the peace in the city".

Sindh Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar sought a detailed report from the Korangi senior superintendent of police.

CTD DIG Hamid said police were focusing on two possible motives behind the incident.

He said in addition to the obvious sectarian aspect of the gun attack, they were ascertaining as to whether a third party wanted to create sectarian conflict. He pointed out that "certain incidents" that recently took place had triggered fears about sectarianism in the city.