KARACHI: Police on Sunday launched an investigation into the assassination of Maulana Dr Adil Khan, the head of Jamia Farooqia, who was gunned down along with his driver in a targeted attack apparently on sectarian grounds a day before.

Maulana Adil’s funeral prayer was held at Jamia Farooqia Phase-II on Hub River Road. It was attended by a large number of people including leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-i-Islami and many prominent religious scholars.

His elder brother, Maulana Ubaidullah Khan, led the funeral prayer. He was laid to rest near the grave of his father, Maulana Saleemullah Khan, who was the founder of Jamia Farooqia.

Investigators unsure about motive

Meanwhile, investigators have launched a probe to ascertain the identity and exact motive for the killing.

Karachi police chief Additional Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon told Dawn: “We are looking into this case from different angles and it is too early to comment.”

Slain chief of Jamia Farooqia seminary laid to rest

Counter Terrorism Department DIG Omar Shahid Hamid said all possible aspects of the incident were being looked into and nothing could be ruled out at this stage.

He observed that Maulana Adil was a prominent religious figure who had also remained a close aide to Mufti Taqi Usmani.

He was coming from his Darul Uloom Korangi when he was targeted.

“The assassination of Maulana Adil may be a conspiracy to trigger sectarian violence,” opined CTD official Raja Umer Khattab while talking to the media on Saturday night.

He said that there were three attackers riding a motorbike and two of them alighted from the two-wheeler behind Maulana’s vehicle while the third one rode to the opposite side of the road.

The killers used a 9mm pistol for shooting. The spent bullet casings recovered from the scene of crime were sent to the forensic science lab, he added.

He said that the forensic analysis showed that the weapon was not used in previous killings in the metropolis.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2020