PESHAWAR: A writ petition was filed at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the increasing incidents of targeted killings of religious scholars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly the recent murder of prominent scholar Maulana Muhammad Idrees in Charsadda as well as the deteriorating law and order situation in the province.
The petition seeks the establishment of a special protection cell for religious scholars and the provision of a martyrs’ package for the families of slain scholars.The writ petition was filed by petitioner Muhammad Zeb through advocate Muhammad Hamdan. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Inspector General of Police, Home Department, and other relevant authorities have been made respondents in the case.
The petition states that the well-known religious scholar Maulana Muhammad Idrees was martyred in broad daylight in Charsadda, and the attackers managed to escape after the incident. It argues that the targeted killings of scholars are negatively impacting religious freedom and freedom of expression, and that more than 40 scholars have been targeted and killed so far. The petitioner contended that such killings violated Articles 9, 20, and 22 of the Constitution, and that the conviction rate in cases involving the murder of scholars was negligible.
