Maulana Adil’s murder: traders to keep businesses closed tomorrow

Religious leaders have initiated meetings with major political and religious parties, madrasa principals, and traders and transport organisations to muster support for Friday’s (tomorrow) strike against the murder of Jamia Farooqia head Maulana Adil Khan and his driver in Shah Faisal Colony on October 10.

Leaders of the Karachi Ulema Committee (KUC), a forum of religious leaders belonging to the Deobandi school of thought, met Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Deputy Convenor Amir Khan and other leaders on Wednesday at the party’s headquarters in Bahadurabad to ask for their support.

Khan said his party has also condemned the murder of Maulana Adil. However, according to the MQM’s statement, the party’s leaders told the KUC delegation that they will announce their decision regarding the strike after holding internal consultation. The KUC delegation that called on the MQM leaders included Maulana Iqbal Ullah, Maulana Taj Muhammad Hanfi, Maulana Hazrat Wali, Hafiz Ahmed Ali and Maulana Hamad Ullah.

Traders’ support

The KUC delegation led by Maulana Aurangzaib Farooqi and Maulana Allah Dad met a group of representatives of traders led by Hakim Shah. The trader leaders announced their support for the religious leaders’ strike call, and said they will keep their businesses closed tomorrow.

The delegation also met Mairaj Muhammad Khan, general secretary of the Zargar Association, which is a body representing various jewellery markets of the city, and succeeded in mustering their support for the strike.

Scholars’ support

A group of prominent religious scholars on Wednesday said that they will support the call for tomorrow’s strike. They announced their support in the form of a joint statement.

Wifaqul Madaris Al-Arabia President Maulana Abdul Razzaq Iskandar, Maulana Anwaar Ul Haq Haqqani, Qari Hanif Jalandhri, Maulana Qazi Abdul Rasheed, Maulana Imdadullah Yousafzai and others announced their support for the KUC’s strike.

They said that tomorrow’s strike is the starting point of a protest movement against the murder of Maulana Adil Khan. They warned that if the government failed to arrest his murderers, they would opt for other forms of protest.

Madrasas’ support

A few days ago, KUC leaders had visited different madrasas and met their principals to get their support for the strike. They met Jamia Tur Rasheed’s principal Maulana Abdul Raheem, Jamia Siddiqia’s principal Maulana Manzoor Mengal and teachers of Jamia Sattaria in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

Leaders of the forum of religious leaders said that they will meet more political as well as religious parties on Thursday (today) to try to muster their support for the strike.