Maulana Samiul Haq’s son selected acting JUI-S head

–Hamidul Haq demands ‘immediate arrest of Samiul Haq’s killers’

AKORA KHATTAK: Son of the assassinated Jamiat Ulema Islam-Sami (JUI-S) chief Maulana Samiul Haq, Maulana Hamidul Haq, was selected as the acting chief of the party on Sunday.

Haq was assassinated at his Bahria Town residence when his staff were out. Haq’s servant had said he had gone outside to buy groceries, only to return to his employer lying in a pool of blood. Sami shortly died after that.

Talking to media, Hamidul Haq said that he has become an orphan. “Current party position will remain unchanged,” he said after being announced as acting chief.

“Maulana Samiul Haq’s killers should be arrested immediately,” he demanded.

On Saturday, police registered an FIR [first information report] against unknown assailants and reportedly interrogated slain cleric’s personal secretary Ahmed Shah and guard for three hours in connection with the murder.

The detainees in their initial statement said, “The two men [suspected of murder] had visited Maulana Haq on several occasions before as well and wanted to meet him alone.”

“The JUI-S chief sent us to the market to bring food and drinks,” they further said. “When we returned after 15 minutes, we found Haq lying in a pool of blood,” the staff workers added. However, the police agreed to release them on Haq’s son request so that they could attend the funeral. But they can be taken into custody again for further questioning, police added.

According to the FIR registered at Airport Police Station, Ahmed Shah had informed Hamidul Haq over the phone that someone had stabbed his father. It stated that Sami, who had received a total of 12 wounds on his stomach, heart, forehead and ears, was shifted to the Safari Hospital but could not be resuscitated.

The son commented on the post-mortem, saying said he did not want to have a post-mortem examination conducted on the body of his father as it was “against Islamic law”.

Separately, forensic experts and investigation officers gathered evidence from his residence in Rawalpindi. The investigation officers also carried out fingerprint scans on the phone, glasses and other personal items of the JUI-S chief. A CCTV footage of the housing society where the JUI-S chief resided is also being obtained to identify the suspects.

NA SPEAKER, MINISTERS CONDOLE WITH HAQ’S SON:

National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser and federal ministers condoled the death of Haq with his son on Sunday.

NA Speaker Asad Qaiser, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan visited Dar-ul-Uloom Haqqania and called on Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq, son of the slain JUI-S chief.

They expressed deep grief and sorrow over the murder of Maulana Haq and prayed for the departed soul to rest in eternal peace and courage for the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude.

The visiting dignitaries paid rich tributes to the services of Maulana Haq. They also vowed to trace, arrest the murderers and awarding exemplary punishment to them.