A Shia cleric and his wife were shot and injured on Wednesday by unknown attackers in Muzaffarabad, police confirmed.
It remains unclear whether the shooting was a sectarian attack or motivated by personal enmity.
The secretary general of the AJK chapter of Majlis Wehdatul Muslimeen (MWM), Allama Tasawwar al Jawadi, 38, was on his way to visit his in-laws in the town of Garhi Dupatta along with his wife, 32 when their motorcycle was intercepted by a black Corolla.
The rescue team reached the scene immediately and transferred the injured to Muzaffarabad’s Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahayan Hospital.
DIG Sardar Gulfraz Khan told local media that Jawadi received a bullet in his neck and is in critical condition. His wife had also received bullet injuries but she is out of danger.
Jawadi’s brother-in-law, Tasawwur Moosvi, claimed that the black car had been chasing him from Manik Pehan camp and had finally intercepted him near Rawani Bridge.
Demonstrations were held in different parts of Muzaffarabad and roads were blocked following the incident.
Jamiat Ahle-Hadith condemned the attack on Jawadi and called upon the government to take action against those creating unrest in the peaceful region of AJK.
“Our region has been enjoying exemplary religious harmony, and it is the national obligation of all segments of society to maintain this atmosphere at all costs,” said Secretary General of Jamiat Ahle-Hadith Daniyal Shahab, in a statement.
