GWADAR: Maulana Abdul Hayee Baloch, the district emir of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) and a prominent religious scholar, was killed in an armed attack in Panjgur on Wednesday.

Police officials said he was on his way home from Madressah Arabia Khair-ul-Madaris Mahmoodia when armed motorcyclists opened fire at his car. He received multiple wounds and died on the spot.

The incident took place in the Sordo area of Panjgur town, Makran division.

Police and personnel of Frontier Corps shifted the body to the district hospital and cordoned off the area where the attack took place.

Hundreds of JUI-F workers and students of the seminary gathered outside the hospital and protested against the murder of the religious scholar.

“It seems to be an incident of targeted killing,” a senior police officer said. “We are investigating the incident from different angles and hope that the killers will be arrested soon.”

No one has claimed responsibility for the killing so far. Later, Maulana Abdul Hayee was laid to rest in Gwarjack graveyard.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2021