Religious scholar shot dead in Nowshera

NOWSHERA: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a known religious scholar and administrator of a seminary, Maulana Amir Hamza, in Madina Colony here on Friday, police said.They said that the gunmen opened fire on Maulana Amir Hamza when he was returning home from the Madrassa Jamia Masjid Taqwa in a car after offering the evening Maghrib prayer. He received several bullets in his body and died on the spot. The accused escaped after committing the murder.
His body was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital Nowshera (DHQ) for autopsy. Maulana Amir Hamza was a prominent religious scholar and had special attachment with the Darul Uloom Deoband and Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak.
His son Qari Muhammad Bilal said that killing of his father was part of the ongoing assassination campaign to eliminate religious scholars for creating chaos in the country. As the news of the killing of Maulana Amir Hamza spread, the people started gathering at the DHQ Hospital. They also staged protest against the incident and demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment to the killers.