Cleric, former JUI-F MPA Maulana Idrees shot dead in Charsadda

A prominent religious scholar and former lawmaker of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Sheikh Muhammad Idrees, was shot dead in a targeted attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district on Tuesday, police said.

According to officials, the incident occurred in the Utmanzai area when the cleric was travelling from his residence to a madrassa. Unidentified assailants, riding motorcycles, opened fire on his vehicle, killing him on the spot.

District Police Officer Muhammad Waqas confirmed that two police personnel assigned to the cleric’s security were also injured in the attack. The injured were shifted to Peshawar for medical treatment.

Police said the attackers ambushed the vehicle at around 8:10am and fired multiple rounds before fleeing the scene. The cleric succumbed to his injuries while being transported to hospital. Authorities recovered nine 9mm bullet casings from the site.

Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said investigations were under way from multiple angles. CCTV footage and other forensic evidence have been collected, while images of suspects were obtained through Safe City cameras. Several teams, including the Counter-Terrorism Department, have been formed to arrest those involved, with raids ongoing.