- Sunni cleric Muhammad Talha Raza shot dead in Gujrat mosque.
- Murder linked to fatwa against leading Shia funeral prayers.
- Victim received threats from suspects before his death.
Lahore: A renowned Sunni cleric was shot dead in a sectarian attack inside a mosque in Punjab province of Pakistan, police said Monday. The incident took place in Shadiwal town of Gujrat, about 200 kms from Lahore, in the early hours of Sunday.
Sunni cleric Muhammad Talha Raza was present at the mosque when four armed men entered and opened fire on him, police said. Dawn, citing officials, said some “unidentified” armed men entered the mosque, and one of them opened fire, leaving him critically injured. He was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.
Dying statement
The victim, in his statement to the police before succumbing to his injuries in the hospital, had alleged that he had issued a decree against a prayer leader, Qari Aslam, for leading the funeral prayers of one Asif Shah in Shadiwal around a year ago. Since the decree, he claimed that he had been receiving threats from the suspects, Dawn reported.
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Police initially registered a case against Qari Aslam, his son Rehan Aslam, Muhammad Usman and Qasim Shah and as many unidentified suspects based on the statement of the injured cleric.
Fatwa against funeral prayers
"Before his death, Raza told police that he had issued a fatwa (decree) about a year ago against a prayer leader, Qari Aslam, for leading the funeral prayers of Asif Shah, belonging to the Shia community in Gujrat," police said. "Since then, Raza said he had been receiving threats from the suspects, including Qari Aslam and Qasim Shah (son of Asif Shah)," police added.
Raza had declared in the decree that leading the funeral of a Shia is un-Islamic, they said, adding a murder case was registered against the suspects and teams constituted for their arrest.
He said that he received the last threat on a WhatsApp call from Dubai on August 20, in which the caller warned him of dire consequences very soon, Dawn reported.
Pakistan's Shia-Sunni divide
Pakistan is predominantly Sunni, with an estimated 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the Muslim population following Sunni Islam. However, it also houses the world's second-largest Shia Muslim population after Iran, with Shia Muslims making up roughly 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the country's population.
(With inputs from agency)