PESHAWAR: Thousands of people gathered at Bagh-i-Naran here on Sunday to offer funeral prayers of banned Lashkar-i-Islam founder Mufti Munir Shakir, who was killed in a blast in Urmar area on the outskirts of the provincial capital.

Mufti Shakir along with three others was wounded when an explosion took place outside his seminary on Saturday. The injured were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital, where Mufti Shakir succumbed to injuries.

On Sunday, a huge number of his followers and people from different walks of life from across the province gathered at Bagh-i-Naran for his funeral.

Speaking to the participants, Mufti Shakir’s son, Abdullah Shakir said his father had been receiving threats, and they had sought security multiple times, but their requests were turned down.

Son alleges his father’s killing was planned

He said the police and the district administration were requested for granting them arms licences, but they refused. He said the family had submitted applications for arms licence on the Dastak Application [an official application], but they were still pending in Hangu district.

He blasted the authorities for putting his family members on the Fourth Schedule and not granting them with arms licences to defend themselves against such attacks.

Mr Abdullah said that his father’s health condition was satisfactory even after the blast, and the only issue, which was discussed with the doctors, was whether to go for amputation since his leg was severely injured. “How is it possible that someone died from a leg injury,” he questioned and alleged that his father’s killing was planned.

On the occasion, Awami National Party’s Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the security agencies and the state had failed to counter militancy. He said Mufti Shakir had sought security but he was refused.

“All your policies are wrong. This war to defeat extremism needs unity,” Mr Hussain said, adding that ‘resistance will continue until peace was restored.’ He also said if peace could be reached with India, why not with Afghanistan. He questioned as to who brought and settled 40,000 militants in KP.

Pashtun Qaumi Jirga representative Barkat Shah Afridi said Mufti Shakir’s martyrdom was not an ordinary case and this would prove to be an incident which will unit Pashtuns. He said a jirga would be held soon to decide the future course of action.

He said there was no need to discuss who was behind Mufti Shakir’s killing as they knew who was behind the brutality against Pashtuns and Balochistan people.

He said that head of the banned

Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement Manzoor Pashteen went from house to house and met all the Pashtoon political and religious leadership, adding that a gathering on October 11, 2024 [referring to Pashtun National Jirga] was held where all the issues were deliberated upon and resolution of the problems was stressed in order to maintain peace in the region.

Barkat Afridi said that the decisions taken during the deliberations were shared with the provincial and federal governments, but were yet to be implemented.

Social activist Khan Wali Afridi said many believed that Mufti Shakir would have been alive had he not been speaking so openly.

“Don’t think about it that you will die if you speak. This is cowardliness. Call the oppressor the oppressor,” Mr Afridi said. “Should we offer the funeral and go away and wait for another funeral,” Mr Afridi questioned and asked upon the gathering to think about the future. He warned that if another explosion took place and any other leader was killed, the leader should not be buried. He also requested the gathering to avoid political and sectarian differences and stand united.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2025