Religious cleric Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza survives attack in Jhelum

JHELUM: Religious cleric and lecturer Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza survived an attack by an unidentified person on Sunday, police said. The attacker was killed in retaliatory firing.

Mirza, known for delivering religious speeches on social media, has over 3.1 million followers on his YouTube channel. He was also attacked earlier this year, and previously survived an assassination attempt in Jhelum in March 2021.

The cleric was outside the Quran & Sunnat Research Academy where he delivers lectures when a man carrying a 9mm pistol arrived at the premises, lay down on the ground, and opened fire, Jhelum police spokesperson Kashif Kiani told Dawn.

Jhelum Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Chaudhry Shafiq said police fired back in retaliation, killing the attacker on the spot. He added that the cleric remained safe and unhurt during the attack.

Kiani confirmed that a policeman on the scholar’s security team was injured during the attack. The constable sustained a gunshot wound to his foot and was taken to Jhelum District Headquarters Hospital, where his condition was stated to be out of danger.

SSP Shafiq that deployed security was active at the time of the attack and would be further beefed up. He added that assistance from the National Database & Registration Authority (Nadra) would be sought to identify the attacker.

Although the motive behind the attack remains unclear, Mirza has been detained for his remarks in the past and banned from delivering speeches to prevent potential violence.