An investigation into the death of former Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor traffic accident in Islamabad has revealed that the driver, who hit the JUI-F leader’s car, turned out to be a habitual speeder.

The driver has been booked 13 times for speeding, police sources said. He still has to pay a fine of Rs2,600 for the HiLux Revo.

Police said that the number of the vehicle is included in the list of defaulters and in the next step the vehicle would be locked in the police station.

Details about the vehicle that hit Mufti Abdul Shakoor’s car have been sent to the investigating officers.

The accident

Mufti Abdul Shakoor died in a road accident in Islamabad, the capital police said on Saturday. He was laid to rest in his hometown Lakki Marwat on Sunday.

“Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Maulana Abdul Shakoor died in a road accident. Maulana Abdul Shakoor was heading towards Secretariat Chowk from Marriott,” the Islamabad police said in a series of tweets.

The vehicle that hit the religious minister’s car was described as Hilux Revo by the police. They claimed to have arrested the five men riding the vehicle.

The police claimed that Shakoor was shifted to the Polyclinic Hospital, but he could not recover. Senior police officers were present at the spot.

“The vehicle and occupants have been taken into police custody,” it said.

Mufti Shakoor was driving the car, Inspector General of Islamabad Police Akbar Nasir Khan confirmed. The religious minister died due to head injuries, the IGP said, adding that the ‘road accident’ was under investigation.

The funeral of the religious affairs minister would be offered on Sunday (tomorrow) at 2:00pm at the Tajbi Khel Lakki Marwat, in his hometown, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) said.

Shakoor was a member of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, aka MMA. He joined the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after the ruling alliance, which included the JUI–part of the MMA, ousted former premier Imran Khan through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022.

Profile

Mufti Abdul Shakoor hailed from the Tajbi Khel area of the Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The deceased was survived by a son and two widows.

He started his parliamentary political career in 2013 when he fought the National Assembly election from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal areas. But he was defeated.

Later, Shakoor contested the election in 2018 and was elected as the MNA. His constituency consisted of Lakki Marwat, Tank, DI Khan, Bannu, Kohat, and Peshawar.

He became a lawmaker after winning from NA-51, erstwhile FATA, on the MMA, a political alliance of religious parties, ticket. His constituency consisted of Lakki Marwat, Tank, DI Khan, Bannu, Kohat, and Peshawar.

He was a central leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. He passed out from Darul Uloom Haqqania Akora Khattak, a town in the Nowshera district. Mufti Shakoor did his master’s in Philosophy and Islamic Studies. He also taught jurisprudence in different madressahs.

The JUI leader was shifted to Peshawar for a long time and was teaching in the Palosi area of the provincial capital.

He was also a regular preacher at a mosque in Peshawar and he used to teach the students in the madressah adjacent to the same mosque. But after getting the post of federal minister, he had delayed teaching.

Mufti Shakoor was the emir of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fata and he was given the charge of Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in April 2022 after the PDM government came to power.

Shakoor had provided many services for the JUI and on the basis of his ability he was declared the unanimous emir of all tribes ie erstwhile FATA for many years.

Shakoor was considered to be a “very close associate” of JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Some political commentators considered Shakoor’s performance better as compared to other ministries as he had managed to have benefits for pilgrims after negotiation and consultation with Saudi Arabia authorities despite the increase in Hajj expenses. His ministry also returned more than Rs5 billion to pilgrims.

This year, he was trying to lessen the Hajj expenses. “Despite the reduction of expenses by the Saudi authorities, the expenses have increased due to the depreciation of the rupee,” he had said.

Condolences

President Arif Alvi expressed his “deep sorrow” while reacting to the demise of Mufti Abdul Shakoor. He paid tribute to the deceased’s services for interfaith harmony.

Alvi offered his condolences to the family of the deceased and prayed for the departed soul.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was grieved to hear about the death of the religious minister. He offered his condolences to the family and relatives of Shakoor.

“Mufti Abdul Shakoor was an ideological political activist and a virtuous person. Mufti Abdul Shakoor was a dynamic leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F,” he said in a statement.

The premier added that Shakoor performed the duties of the federal minister for religious affairs and interfaith harmony “honestly”. He prayed for the deceased.

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Akram Durrani were also grieved after the death of Shakoor.

“The sudden and unexpected death of Mufti Sahib is not enough to be regretted,” said a statement issued by the NA on Twitter.

It added that the lawmaker “always worked hard for the welfare of the people and the development of the country”.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also expressed his sorrow over the demise of Shakoor.

In a statement, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the death of Shakoor was a “great loss” for the party and the deceased’s family. His services would always be remembered, said grieved JUI-F chief.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has directed the IGP Islamabad to conduct a full investigation into the ‘accident’.

“Mufti Abdul Shakur’s services as a religious scholar, minister of religious affairs and a staunch politician will always be remembered,” he said in a tweet.