MANSEHRA, Feb 6: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl lawmaker Mufti Kifayatullah and another cleric were charged with the murder of a man, who was killed in exchange fire between two religious groups on Eid Miladul Nabi here on Sunday.

Mohammad Waseem, an employee of education department, was killed and 10 other persons sustained critical injuries in the firing incident outside Sunari Mosque in Loharbanda area at Karakoram Highway. Police on written complaint of Maulana Abdul Malik lodged FIR against MPA Mufti Kafaitullah and Maulana Fazal Bari.

Maulana Abdul Malik in his FIR stated that Maulana Abdul Bari fired at procession after being instigated by MPA Mufti Kifayatullah, who was present inside the mosque when the incident occurred and Mohammad Waseem was killed instantly.

Eyewitnesses said that tension gripped the area in the morning when one of the groups made announcement through loudspeaker, asking people to come and restrict mobility of procession outside the mosque while the other blocked the Karakoram Highway for over two hours. Both the groups had targeted each others with bricks and stones in 2011.

Eyewitness said that police restricted one of groups from proceeding towards Sunari Mosque but it breached the cordon as a result of which both sides exchanged fire.

"Now situation is under complete control and law would take its due course against those involved in the killing," District Police Officer Ijaz Ahmad Khan told journalists. - Correspondent

Opinion

Editorial

Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

KARACHI, with its long history of crime, is well-acquainted with the menace. For some time now, it has witnessed...
Appointment rules
06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

IT appears that, despite years of wrangling over the issue, the country’s top legal minds remain unable to decide...
Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....