Religious leader, police guard gunned down in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Maulana Ismail Darvesh, a senior leader of the religious group Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat, was killed along with a policeman when armed motorcyclists fired at a car here late Thursday.

Eyewitnesses and cops said the white car was fired at by unidentified armed men riding a motorcycle on Phandu Road at 9.30 pm.

The attack took place near the Chairman office locality in suburban Peshawar. The attackers managed to escape from the scene.

Police Constable Mohammad Ayub, who had been deployed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police with Maulana Ismail Darvesh for his security, was also hit by the hail of bullets when the car was fired at.

The doctors at the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar said both Maulana Ismail Darvesh and Police Constable Mohammad Ayub had succumbed to their injuries before they could be brought to the hospital’s Emergency unit.

Maulana Ismail Darvesh, who led the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat in Khyber Pakhtunkkhwa, was reportedly on his way home when his car came under fire. He was facing threats to his life due to his association with religious groups.

The workers of the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat and former lawmaker Maulana Ibrahim Qasmi, a leader of the Rah-e-Haq Party, reached the Lady Reading Hospital after hearing about the attack on Maulana Ismail Darvesh.

There they learnt that Maulana Ismail Darvesh has died.

A heavy contingent of the police rushed to the site of the attack after the incident. There was no report yet about any arrests.

Senior Superintendent of Police(Operations) Peshawar Javed Iqbal said the attackers were on motorbike who were wearing helmets.

The official said the deceased Maulana was driving the car while the police guard was on the rear seat when the armed attackers opened fire on the moving car.