Masood-ur-Rehman Usmani (; – 5 January 2024) was a Pakistani

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

and religious leader who served as the Central Deputy Secretary of Sunni Ulema Council and

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan The Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS), also known as the Millat-e-Islamiyya (MI), was a banned Sunni Islamist Deobandi organisation in Pakistan. Founded by Pakistani cleric Haq Nawaz Jhangvi in 1989 after breaking away from Sunni Deobandi party Jamiat Ule ...

, renamed Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) until his death. He was shot by an unknown person in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

on 5 January 2024. He was also a member of

Council of Islamic Ideology Council of Islamic Ideology (CII; () is a constitutional body of Pakistan, responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to the government and the Parliament. This body was founded in 1962 under the government of Ayub Khan. Functions ...

, a constituent body of

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

. Usmani was arrested in April 2018 by unknown persons from Sharifabad area under Koral police station. After his disappearance, his supporters blocked the

Islamabad Expressway The Islamabad Expressway (), sometimes also referred to as Islamabad Highway, is a major north–south expressway in Islamabad, Capital Territory, Pakistan. The expressway provides quick access between the Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Punjab, co ...

. However, the circumstances surrounding his arrest are still unclear.

Early life

Maulana Usmani was born in 1968 in the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. He received his religious education at various madrasas, including Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi and Jamia Ashrafia Lahore. He earned the distinguished title of "Maulana" by completing his Dars-e-Nizami, a traditional Islamic scholarly program.

Assassination

Masood ur Rehman Usmani was shot dead on 5 January 2024 by bike-borne shooters in Ghori Town, a suburb in

. He was taken to the hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Funeral

Thousands of mourners attended a funeral Saturday for a Pakistani Sunni Muslim cleric gunned down in broad daylight on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, police and a spokesman for the cleric’s organization said: The funeral of Masood-ur-Rehman Usmani was held a day after unidentified gunmen shot and killed him and wounded his driver in the neighborhood of Ghauri Town, according to a statement issued by the Islamabad police.

Investigation

Immediately after the incident, a heavy police force reached the spot and cordoned off the area and an investigation has been started to arrest the accused.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usmani, Masood ur Rehman 2024 deaths Pakistani Islamic religious leaders Hanafis Islamic scholars Maturidis Assassinated Pakistani people Deaths by firearm in Pakistan People murdered in Islamabad 2024 murders in Pakistan 1968 births Pakistani Sunni Muslims Critics of Shia Islam Critics of Ahmadiyya