KARACHI: Police investigators have made no significant progress in the investigation into the deadly attack on prominent religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, who survived the attempt on his life while three associates travelling with him were killed in the synchronised gun assault.

However, law enforcers claimed they have made “breakthroughs” in at least nine other killing cases linked with sectarianism, it emerged on Thursday.

Six armed motorcyclists opened indiscriminate fire on two cars at Nipa traffic intersection in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on March 22 killing Mufti Taqi Usmani’s police guard and another guard.

Mufti Usmani’s aide-cum-driver Maulana Amir Shahab succumbed to his injuries during treatment late on Wednesday night, bringing the death toll to three.

Amir Shahab, 45, was critically wounded and admitted to the JPMC, where he later died.

Aziz Bhatti SHO Adeel Afzal said that the victim was a religious scholar-cum-driver.

His funeral prayer was held on the premises of Darul Uloom Korangi whose president Mufti Rafi Usmani, the elder brother of Mufti Taqi Usmani, led the prayers.

The prayers were attended by ulema and students of the seminary in large numbers.

Later on, he was laid to rest on the premises of the seminary.

Deceased Amir Shahab got married last year and was father of a son. He had been working as driver of Mufti Taqi Usmani since past two years.

Investigation under way

Despite passage of 13 days, the investigators have made no breakthrough in ascertaining the identity of the six attackers and motive for the assault.

Mufti Taqi, who remained unhurt in the incident, was on his way to deliver Friday sermon in the Baitul Mukkaram mosque located on main University Road a short distance away from the crime scene.

A senior police officer familiar with the probe told Dawn on condition of anonymity that no progress had been made in the case.

However, the officer added that the investigators had made “breakthroughs” in other recent killings linked with sectarianism in the city.

Another officer said that at least nine cases related to sectarian killings had been “traced”. A network behind these incidents has been detected whose over one dozen suspects have been detained, the officer added.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2019