Maulana Adil Khan assassination attempt to instigate unrest by Pakistan’s enemies: Army chief

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa strongly condemned Maulana Adil Khan's assassination, terming it "an attempt to foment unrest by Pakistan's enemies".

In a tweet on Sunday, the DG ISPR tweeted that the army chief had expressed grief over the killing and had directed all-out support to civil administration to bring the criminals to justice.

Read more: Prominent religious scholar Maulana Adil Khan shot dead in Karachi

"Expressing grief on assassination of renowned religious scholar Maulana Adil in Karachi, #COAS strongly condemned the incident and termed it an attempt to foment unrest by Pakistan’s enemies. COAS directed all out support to civil administration to bring the criminals to justice," tweeted the DG ISPR.

The prominent religious scholar, along with his driver, was shot dead on Saturday in Karachi's Shah Faisal area, with Prime Minister Imran Khan chalking it up as "an attempt by India to create sectarian conflict across the country".

Adil Khan was the son of late Saleemullah Khan, the former president of Wifaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia and is the principal of Jamia Farooqi.

According to police, the scholar was sitting in a Toyota Vigo, with the vehicle parked outside Shama shopping centre when suspects on motorcycles came up to him and shot him.

Police said that a third person, Umair, was also accompanying Maulana Adil and survived the incident. He had gone inside the shopping centre to buy mithai (sweet meats).

Sources in Liaquat National Hospital, where he was taken to, said that the scholar had already passed away when he arrived. According to the hospital's spokesperson, Maulana Adil suffered two bullet wounds.

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Executive Director Dr Seemi Jamali said that the body of Muhammad Maqsood, the driver of the deceased scholar, was brought to the facility's emergency ward.