Prominent religious scholar Maulana Muhammad Idris was gunned down by unidentified assailants in the Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday.

According to police, unidentified gunmen ambushed Maulana Idris’s vehicle when it was passing through the Utmanzai area.

Maulana Idris, who was also a leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), sustained critical injuries in the attack and succumbed while being transferred to the hospital.

Two policemen accompanying him as guards were also injured in the attack.

Police reports indicate that the firing was so intense that it shattered the vehicle’s windows.

Following the assault, the attackers managed to flee the scene.

A heavy police contingent reached the site, secured the area, and began collecting evidence.

Authorities have cordoned off the surrounding area and initiated search operations in Utmanzai and neighbouring border regions of Peshawar and Charsadda to arrest the suspects.

Officials have vowed that those responsible for this cowardly attack will soon be brought to justice.

Investigations launched

Inspector General of Police (IG) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Hameed, has taken strict notice of the firing incident targeting Maulana Muhammad Idris in Charsadda and ordered immediate investigations.

In response to the attack, joint teams of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and local police have been formed.

According to preliminary investigations, the incident was a case of targeted killing.

Authorities have obtained images of the suspects with the help of safe city cameras and are making efforts to identify and apprehend the attackers.