Mysterious murder of religious scholar sparks protest in Pakistan’s northwest

The mysterious murder of a renowned religious scholar this week in Pakistan’s northwest has sparked protest and the recent attacks on forces in North Waziristan are also considered as revenge to the incident.

Maulana Naseeb Khan, a teacher of madrassa Haqania, was found dead in the town of Nowshera on Thursday last after he was kidnapped by unidentified persons.

It is not clear who is behind the killing and the religious students and teachers have started protest to press the government apprehend those behind the murder.

Khan was buried in North Waziristan few days ago, Taliban leaders also attended the funeral and vowed to take revenge of Khan murder. They also alleged the government’s involvement in the murder.

Police said that Naseeb had been kidnapped by unidentified people and they are investigating.

A statement issued by the seminary following his disappearance had alleged that the government had picked up Maulana Naseeb when he was on his way to the city of Kohat.

A police officer Yasin Khan said that there was no sign of torture or bullet on the body and the postmortem report would confirm the cause of the death.

Khan belonged to North Waziristan tribal region and was considered very close to Taliban groups in North and South Waziristan regions.

Chief of Taliban group led by Hafiz Gul Bahadar in North Waziristan had attended the funeral and he and other leaders had vowed to take revenge from the government.

Sources said that Khan had also had close relations with the Taliban group, led by Mulla Nazir, in South Waziristan.

A day after funeral of the scholar, gunmen attacked a convoy of security forces in North Waziristan, injuring three army men. The attack sparked clashes, which led to the killing of 12 soldiers and 10 civilians in two days.

The militants beheaded several army men and hanged their heads with electric polls and trees in North Waziristan, tribesmen in the region said.

A tribal elder told IRNA on phone that the jirga or council of tribal elders handed over the beheaded bodies of the slain soldiers to the military on Monday.

Clashes in North Waziristan also posed serious danger to the peace deal the militants had signed with the security forces in 2007. Tribal peace council is trying to save the peace deal to avoid further bloodshed.