PESHAWAR
The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Peshawar chapter on Friday staged a protest demonstration outside the Peshawar Press Club (PPC) against the killing of Sheikhul Maulana Idrees Shaheed, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible.
The protest, organised by the party’s Peshawar district chapter, was attended by workers and local leaders from across the district, causing heavy traffic congestion and closure of the main road linking the city with Saddar due to the large turnout.
The demonstration was led by JUI-F Peshawar district emir Maulana Miskeen Shah and general secretary Maulana Ahmed Ali Darwish.
Several party leaders and religious scholars addressed the gathering, including former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Ghulam Ali, former provincial ministers Amanullah Haqqani and Asif Iqbal Daudzai, MPA Ijaz Khan, Haji Zubair Ali, and Khatm-e-Nubuwwat leader Maulana Abdul Baseer Haqqani.
Speakers criticised what they termed the “cold and unserious attitude” of the government and state institutions towards the killings of religious scholars, saying the authorities had failed to ensure their protection.
They warned that JUI-F workers were prepared to make “every sacrifice” and said the party would continue its protest movement until the killers of Maulana Idrees were arrested.
The speakers said JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman would announce the party’s future course of action at a large gathering in Karachi. They also warned that if the provincial assembly session scheduled for Monday continued, party workers would block the entire city of Peshawar in protest.
Following the demonstration outside the PPC, protesters marched towards FC Chowk in Saddar, where former district emir Haji Zubair Ali addressed the participants. The protest concluded with a collective prayer led by Maulana Mustaqim Muhammad, after which the demonstrators dispersed peacefully.
