KOHAT, July 17: The religious scholars of Kohat division have held a jirga and constituted a committee to end rift between two groups of a banned organisation over possession of mosques and a seminary.

The Maulana Masood Aszhar faction of Jaish-i-Muhammad, led by Bakht Khan, and the breakaway group of Mohammad Asif, now renamed as Qasmi group, have been fighting against each other over possession of mosques for the past few months.

Two persons had been killed and five injured when the groups clashed inside an orchard on June 6. The clash was so intense that even police couldn't enter the area. The law enforcers shifted the bodies and injured to hospital when the fighting ended.

Both the groups are trying to gain control of Masjid Ibne Masood, which has also a seminary, near the Kohat springs and Masjid Khalid bin Walid in College Town. The control of another mosque, Masjid-i-Shuhada, in Tappi area on University Road had been handed over to local people at a jirga.

The Bakhat Khan group had been demanding of its rival faction to leave the mosques and seminary because it had resigned from the organisation. However, members of Qasmi group claim that they have right over the mosques as they were constructed by their late leader Mohammad Asif.

Mohammad Asif along with his friends had quit the organisation, alleging that its leadership was using them in activities that were against the manifesto of the party. He had also alleged that leadership of the organisation had joined hands with terrorist groups.

“The religious scholars gathered in Kotwali Mosque in main bazaar to end fighting between the groups because it was defaming religion,” a jirga member told Dawn .

The jirga was attended by former MNA from Hangu Akhunzada Mohammad Siddique, Maulana Khalid Mahmood, Maulana Mohammad Amjid from Karak, Sheikhul Hadih Maualana Aseel Bad Shah, Maulana Abdul Aziz of Kohat and large number of other clerics.

The newly appointed head of the committee, Maulana Abdul Hameed, called an emergency meeting and said that nobody would be allowed to disturb peace of Kohat and provide an opportunity to people to point finger at religious organisations.