Religious Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor dies in road accident

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor has died in road accident in Islamabad, ARY News reported on Saturday, quoting capital police.

In a statement, Islamabad police said that the federal minister was travelling to Secretariat Chowk from Marriott near Iftar timings when a Hilux Revo carrying five men hit his car.

Maulana Abdul Shakoor was shifted to Polyclinic Hospital but he could not survive and succumbed to his injuries.

Five people were travelling in the Hilux Revo and they, along with their vehicle, have been taken into custody, police added. Further investigation is underway, police added.

Mufti Shakoor was an MNA of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) from the erstwhile tribal areas.

Islamabad Inspector-General (G) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, and other federal ministers have reached the hospital, where Shakoor breathed his last.

The funeral prayer of Mufti Shakoor will be offered tomorrow (Sunday) at 2 pm in Lakki Marwat, and he will be laid to rest in his native town, a JUI-F spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said he had ordered Islamabad’s inspector general of police to carry out a thorough investigation into the incident.

وفاقی وزیر مذہبی امور مولانا عبدالشکور کی ٹریفک حادثہ میں وفات پر افسوس ہوا، اہل خانہ سے تعزیت کرتے ہیں۔ اللّٰہ تعالیٰ مرحوم کے درجات بلند فرمائے اور اہل خانہ کو صبر جمیل عطا کرے۔ آئی جی اسلام آباد کو واقع کی مکمل تحقیقات کی ہدایت کر دی ہے۔

— Rana SanaUllah Khan (@RanaSanaullahPK) April 15, 2023

Mufti Shakoor was an MNA of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) from the erstwhile tribal areas.

Condolences pour in

Political leaders have expressed their sorrow over the sad demise and condoled the family members of the deceased.

Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the federal minsiter’s demise, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The premier extended his condolences to the deceased’s family and prayed for him, the statement said, adding that Shakoor was one of the “dynamic and ideological leaders” of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and a good person.

Taking to his personal Twitter account, the premier said that he was deeply saddened to hear about the “sudden death of my friend, colleague and an important member of the cabinet, Mufti Abdul Shakoor”.

میرے دوست، ساتھی اور کابینہ کے اہم رکن مفتی عبدالشکور صاحب کی اچانک موت کا سن کا شدید دکھ اور تکلیف ہوئی۔ وہ ایک باعمل عالم، نظریاتی سیاسی کارکن اور نیک انسان تھے۔ اللہ تعالٰی مرحوم کی مغفرت اور لواحقین کو صبر عطا فرمائے

انا لله و انا الیه راجعون

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 15, 2023

The premier remembered him as a “practising scholar, an ideological political activist and a pious person”.

In a statement, President Dr Arif Alvi also expressed his regret over the death of the federal minister and paid tribute to the deceased’s services for interfaith harmony.

صدر مملکت کا مرحوم کے اہل خانہ سے اظہار ہمدردی ، صبر جمیل کی دعا

صدر مملکت کی مفتی عبد الشکور کیلئے دعائے مغفرت

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) April 15, 2023