Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has condemned the killing of former senator and Jamiat Ulema Islam-Sami (JUI-S) chief Maulana Sami ul Haq.
Khan thanked Haq for his service to the nation and said that his death has deprived Pakistan of an important religious leader, reported Geo News.
The Pakistan premier also sought a report into the incident and directed that an investigation should be carried out immediately to find the assailants.
Khan is currently on his maiden visit to China.
Denouncing the killing of the JUI-S chief, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar sought a report from the Inspector General Punjab Police.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat took to Twitter to confirm Haq’s killing.
“Maulana Sami ul Haq has been assassinated. Small protests have erupted in Aabpara chowk. Everyone is advised to please stay at home for a while. We will take control of the situation in a while,” he tweeted.
Maulana Samiul Haq was stabbed to death at his residence in Rawalpindi on Friday. He was known as ‘Father of Taliban’ for his radical views and patronage to terror groups, including Taliban.
ARY TV quoted JUI-S chief’s son Maulana Hamid ul Haq as saying that Samiul Haq was ill and was taking rest at home when he was attacked.
Maulana Samiul Haq was elected as a Senator in 1985 before holding the post again in 1991.
His death has come at a time when Pakistan is already going through a volatile religio-political crisis over the Supreme Court acquitting Asiya Bibi, a Christian woman, in a blasphemy case.
Most recently, Haq was aligned with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and sought to work closely with him.
A few days ago, a high-level delegation from Afghanistan had met him at his seminary, Darul Uloom Haqqania in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and urged him to mediate between different groups of Taliban as they considered him as a father figure.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]