CHARSADDA: Renowned cleric and former Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) MPA Maulana Muhammad Idrees was killed on Tuesday after unidentified assailants opened fire on him, police said.

Police Personal Relations Officer Safiullah told Dawn that Idrees left for Darul Uloom Noumania from his home in Tarangzai. He said that shortly before he arrived at his destination, armed assailants fired at the vehicle in the Tariqabad Utmanzai area.

He said that two officials were also injured in the incident, adding that police had obtained CCTV footage of the incident.

The cleric’s body was subsequently shifted to the District Headquarter Hospital. His funeral prayers were offered later in the day in his native Tarangzai area of Charsadda, with strict security arrangements in place and a large number of attendees, including prominent JUI-F leaders.

Idrees was the JUI-F district ameer and was considered one of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s trusted advisers.

The deceased’s father-in-law, Maulana Hassan Jan, who had defeated Awami National Party (ANP) leader Abdul Wali Khan in his native Charsadda constituency, was also gunned down by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for opposing armed struggle.

Meanwhile, KP Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed took notice of the incident. According to a post on X by KP police, the IG sought a report from the Mardan regional police officer. He also told the official to take the necessary steps to arrest those responsible for the incident.

IG Hameed also expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and expressed his resolve to arrest those responsible soon.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow at the attack and offered condolences to the family of the deceased cleric, state broadcaster PTV reported.

“Such cowardly acts cannot demoralise the nation,” the president was quoted as saying. He stressed that the country’s resolve to eradicate terrorism remained “strong and unwavering”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement, also expressed deep grief over the cleric’s killing and extended his condolences to the bereaved family, state-run APP reported.

Praying for the elevation of the deceased’s ranks and for patience for his family, the premier wished the injured policemen a speedy recovery.

KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took notice of the incident and strongly condemned it. According to an official statement, he also sought a report from the police.

“The martyrdom of Maulana Muhammad Idrees is regrettable. We stand with the family members in this hour of difficulty,” he said. He also directed to provide the best possible medical treatment to the police officials injured in the incident.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also expressed sorrow at the incident and sought a report from the authorities concerned. According to a statement issued by his office, he termed the Maulana’s death an “irreparable loss” for the country.

JUI-F Secretary General MNA Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri also expressed grief over Maulana Idrees’s demise, terming it a “national tragedy”, a statement issued by the party said.

Haideri was quoted as saying that the void left by his death “will not be filled for a long time”.

The JUI-F secretary general said targeting clerics was a “conspiracy to spread unrest in the country”.

He acknowledged Maulana Idrees’s “valuable services for the religion and the country”, and demanded that the government should “immediately” arrest the cleric’s killers.

Haideri said ensuring clerics’ security was state’s responsibility and that such incidents were not to be tolerated. “If effective measures are not taken against terrorism, the situation will worsen,” he warned, stressing the need for “concrete steps” for peace in the country.

ANP’s Aimal Wali Khan also condemned the incident, stressing that it was “clear evidence” of the “deteriorating” law and order situation in the province.

“Target killing and terrorism incidents have become a norm in KP now,” Khan said, calling on the federal and provincial governments to put their differences aside and take steps towards restoring peace in KP.

Meanwhile, former senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan said that he was deeply saddened by the news of the cleric’s killing.

“Can the provincial and federal governments, security agencies, and intelligence agencies tell us when terrorism will end in KP? No one is safe from terrorists,” he said.