JHELUM: Prominent YouTube cleric Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza survived an attempt on his life outside a local academy, as his police guard gunned down a shooter on Sunday.

The police official also received injuries on his foot and was hospitalised, but his condition was said to be stable.

Jhelum District Police Officer (DPO) Chaudhry Shafiq told Dawn that the cleric remained unhurt, while the suspect was killed on the spot by the constable, who was part of the security detail.

The shootout took place outside the Quran and Sunnat Research Academy, where the religious scholar delivers lectures.

Attacker identified, motive not yet clear

Later, DPO Shafiq told Dawn the attacker was identified as a 26-year-old resident of Mianwali.

He said that a preliminary investigation revealed the assailant was motivated by religious videos, but it could not be ascertained if he was associated with any outfit. According to the DPO, the attacker had been involved in criminal cases, including murders, adding that further information was being collected from Mianwali police.

Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Syed Khalid Hamdani said he was monitoring the investigation. He lauded the quick response by the police constable. According to the RPO, foolproof security had already been provided to the cleric and after the incident, it was further beefed up at the academy and its surroundings.

The motive of the shooter remained unclear, but this was not the first time the religious scholar had faced an attack. In February this year, a man was detained for attacking the scholar at the same academy.

Engineer Mirza is no stranger to controversy, as he was detained by police in August last year under the maintenance of public order, and later booked on blasphemy charges. The cleric had also been booked and arrested by the Jhelum police in May 2020 for remarks against some religious figures.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2026