Pakistan's Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor dies in road accident

Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor was killed in a road accident when his car was hit by another vehicle in the national capital, police said.

The minister’s car was hit by a Hilux Revo while he was travelling from Mariott towards the Secretariat Chowk on Saturday, the Islamabad Police said in a statement.

The minister was rushed to the Polyclinic Hospital where he was declared dead.

“Five persons present in the vehicle involved in the accident have been taken into custody and a probe is launched,” it said.

Islamabad Inspector General of Police Akbar Nasir Khan told the media that the minister was driving his car alone when he collided with the other vehicle.

“He died on the spot from the head injury he suffered,” Khan said.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.

Shakoor was a senior member of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) of Maulana Fazlur Rehman whose party is part of the ruling coalition.

JUI-F has said that the funeral prayer of the minister will be offered at the Tajbi Khel area of Lakki Marwat district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condoled his death and praised the late minister for his contributions to society as a practical scholar, ideological political activist, and a good human being.

President Dr Arif Alvi also expressed his deep sorrow over the minister’s death and paid tribute to his services for interfaith harmony in the country.

"The grief is not just for his family but for me and the entire party," JUI-F's media cell quoted party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman as saying.

Shakoor hit the headlines some months ago when a woman officer accused the minister of refusing to endorse her appointment as director general of the Hajj affairs due to her gender. However, the minister rejected the allegations.