F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Maulana Abdul Shakoor on Saturday evening died in a road accident when a vehicle rammed into his car near Secretariat Chowk, police said.
The Police spokesperson said Maulana Abdul Shakoor was heading towards Secretariat Chowk from Marriott near Iftar timings when a Hilux Revo carrying five men hit his car. Maulana Abdul Shakoor was shifted to Polyclinic Hospital but he could not survive and succumbed to his injuries.
Senior police officers rushed to the scene while the vehicle and occupants have been taken into police custody. Further investigation is underway, police added. Political leaders have expressed their sorrow over the sad demise and condoled the family members of the deceased.
Senior police officers, according to the police, have arrived at the scene of the crime, and the people in the vehicle that smashed the federal minister’s car have been arrested. Two of the five men are injured. Islamabad Inspector-General Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, and other federal ministers have also reached the hospital, where Shakoor breathed his last.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah directed the capital’s police to ensure that a “complete investigation” is conducted regarding the accident. “Initial information suggests that Mufti Shakoor passed away due to an injury to his head,” Islamabad IG Khan told journalists outside the hospital.
Mufti Shakoor’s funeral prayer will be offered tomorrow (Sunday) at 2 pm in Lakki Marwat, and he will be laid to rest in his native town, a JUI-F spokesperson said in a statement. The religious scholar was elected as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-51 on the ticket of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) in the 2018 general elections.
In his condolence statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Shakoor was a “practical scholar, an ideological political activist, and a decent human being”. PM Shehbaz said the deceased federal minister was among Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s ideological leaders.
“Mufti Abdul Shakoor performed his duties with diligence, sincerity and honesty as Minister of Religious Affairs,” the premier said, paying glaring tribute to him. Pakistan Peoples Partry Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the demise and prayed for the federal minister’s forgiveness. Senator Sherry Rehman said she stands with his family in their time of sorrow.
Sanaullah also expressed grief over Shakoor’s demise and said JUI-F has been deprived of a dedicated politician. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Fawad Chaudhry and Faisal Javed also extended their condolences and prayed for the deceased federal minister.
Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman on Saturday expressed her condolences on the demise of Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Maulana Abdul Shakoor in traffic accident in the federal capital. In her condolence message, the federal minister expressed her deep sorrow and grief on the death of Maulana Abdul Shakoor with his family and party. Senator Rehman said she equally shared the grief of the bereaved family of the deceased Minister. She also prayed for the exaltation of the ranks of the deceased in the hereafter and patience for his bereaved family.
