SARGODHA, Feb 11: A religious scholar was gunned down by two highwaymen on Thursday night near commerce college on Faisalabad-Sargodha road.

According to the report lodged by Shakil Gill, he along with an employee of PAF, was stopped by the robbers on the link road between Chak 47 NB and PAF Road. They snatched their bicycle, cash and gold rings, tied them with ropes and threw them in fields.

In the meanwhile, Qari Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, chief of Madressah Darul Aloom Hanfia, reached there on his motorcycle and the highwaymen signalled him to stop. But, the Qari tried to speed away and the robbers shot him dead.

He was laid to rest after Friday prayers. Later, in all mosques resolutions were adopted condemning the incident and for the arrest of the killers. When contacted, DPO Naeem Khan said it was neither an act of terrorism nor an incident of sectarianism. It was an act of robbery-cum-murder.

He, however, appealed to the people, particularly media men, to avoid airing this sad incident as an incident of sectarianism. Meanwhile, religious leaders of all sects, particularly Shia, voiced their concern over the murder of Qari Shabbir and said he was a moderate religious scholar who always preached sectarian harmony and brotherhood.