Pak: Prominent cleric shot dead by gunmen

Peshawar: Prominent cleric and Member of the Provincial Council of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl Group), Maulana Abdus Salam, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday in northwest Pakistan, police said.

Motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire on the car of the cleric on Mandani–Takhthbhai road in Charsadda district within the jurisdiction of Mandani Police Station, killing him on the spot, police said.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack. However, in previous incidents, the militant group Daesh (ISIS) had claimed responsibility for the killings of JUI-F members.

The cleric’s body has been shifted to a hospital for a post-mortem. Police said that investigations are underway from various angles to determine the motive and those involved in the incident.