The city, fearing a backlash, remained in a constant grip of fear on Friday as fresh spree of what the police believe "target killings" of the religious scholars has hit the metropolis. Further, the politico-religious parties in the city have announced to observe strike across the province on Saturday (today) in protest of the "target killing" of the renowned ulemas and others.
On Thursday, unknown assailants intercepted and assassinated Moulana Saeed Jalalpuri, Chief of Alami Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (AMTKN), his 16-year-old son Huzaifa Jalalpuri and his two associates near Gulzar-e-Hijri. In a separate incident, the attackers riddled with bullets the vehicle of Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Nadeem, a leader of Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (formerly Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan) near Annu Bhai Park.
The assault left the ulema injured and his young son dead on the spot. After witnessing the violence and a possible backlash from the supporters of religious scholars, the city wore a deserted look on Friday with socio-economic activities in many neighbourhoods paralysed till afternoon.
Fearing incidents of arson the public transport remained off the roads and shops in the main commercial markets shut down with heavy contingent of law enforcers patrolling almost all major thoroughfares of the metropolis. Normalcy, however, started returning as soon as the funeral prayers of the deceased were offered at the Jamia Binoria Town and Nagan Chawrangi after Friday prayers amid watertight security.
Maulana Jalalpuri was buried within the limits of Maulana Yousuf Ludhyanvi's mausoleum. Meanwhile, the JUI announced strike on Saturday, a call, which was later supported by Ameer of Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Munawwar Hasan in a press conference at the party headquarters, Idara-e-Noor-e-Haque. A meeting of religious scholars, which was held at Binori Town late Thursday, had called upon the provincial government to conduct a judicial probe into the assassination of ulemas.
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