Peshawar: A powerful bomb explosion inside a local mosque in Peshawar claimed the life of prominent religious scholar Mufti Munir Shakir.
According to reports, the blast occurred around 6 PM when Mufti Munir Shakir was present in the mosque along with his students. The attack left him and three of his associates critically injured. They were immediately rushed to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, where Mufti Munir Shakir succumbed to his injuries despite the doctors' efforts.
Confirming his death, hospital spokesperson Dr. Muhammad Asim stated that Mufti Munir Shakir was brought in with severe wounds but could not survive. His body will be handed over to his family after completing the necessary formalities.
So far, police and security officials have not released any details about the attack, but an investigation is underway to gather evidence from the scene.
Mufti Munir Shakir was a well-known figure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a controversial past linked to militant organizations. In recent years, he had become actively involved with the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and was a vocal critic of state institutions and the government over the rising insecurity in the region. Authorities had previously attempted to arrest him on multiple occasions.
This attack marks the second major bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past three weeks. Earlier, a suicide bombing targeted the famous religious seminary in Akora Khattak, where Hamid-ul-Haq, the son of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) founder Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, was attacked. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for that bombing. Additionally, several religious leaders in Balochistan and Bajaur have been assassinated in recent weeks.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack on Mufti Munir Shakir.
