Who was Mufti Munir Shakir? from cleric to militant leader

PESHAWAR: Mufti Munir Shakir, the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Islam, was killed after a bomb ripped through a mosque in the Urmar area of Peshawar on Saturday.

According to Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim, Mufti Munir was brought to the hospital in an injured condition, with severe damage to his leg due to the explosion.

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The spokesperson said that excessive blood loss led to his death at the hospital.

Urmar Police Station House Officer Noor Muhammad told the BBC Urdu that as Mufti Munir entered the mosque for Asr prayers, an already-planted explosive device detonated, initially injuring four people, including him.

They were shifted to the hospital for treatment.

Peshawar SSP Masood Ahmed told the BBC Urdu that initial investigation suggested Mufti Munir was attacked with a hand grenade.

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He said that the police were actively investigating the incident.

“Mufti Munir’s life was under threat, and he had been receiving threats from the Khorasan branch of the Islamic State,” the SSP said.

A few days before his death, Mufti Munir had said in a speech that he was receiving threats on WhatsApp.

He had submitted screenshots of the said threats as evidence to the local police station.

So far, no militant group has claimed responsibility for his killing.

A rising trend of attacks on religious scholars

In recent weeks, religious figures have been targeted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A few weeks ago, Maulana Hamidul Haq was attacked in a bombing at Jamia Haqqania in Akora Khattak.

On Friday, Maulana Abdullah Nadeem, a leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, was also attacked inside a mosque in South Waziristan, leaving him injured.

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Mufti Munir’s funeral prayers were held on Sunday in Bagh-e-Naran, Hayatabad.

Who was Mufti Munir Shakir?

Mufti Munir received his early education in the Makhizai area of Kurram Agency, where his father was a teacher. He belonged to the Bangash tribe.

Fazal Hameed, a longtime friend of Mufti Munir since their student days, told the BBC, “I have known Mufti Munir since 1989. We lived together in Banuri Town, where he was a year junior to me.”

According to Fazal Hameed, “Mufti Munir studied in Banuri Town for a year, then moved to Darul Uloom Orangi, where he studied under Mufti Taqi Usmani. Later, he completed his studies at Jamia Farooqia under Maulana Samiullah Khan.”

Mufti Munir first gained prominence when he founded the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Islam.

In 2004 and 2005, clashes erupted in the Bara region of Khyber Agency between Lashkar-e-Islam and another banned group, Ansar-ul-Islam, after which Munir Shakir went into hiding.

Following his disappearance, the leadership of Lashkar-e-Islam was handed over to Mangal Bagh.

Under Mangal Bagh, violent clashes between the two groups continued, leading to a large-scale military operation in the area.

After remaining in hiding for some time, Mufti Munir resumed teaching in Hangu before eventually relocating to the Armar area of Peshawar.

In recent years, Mufti Munir gained popularity on social media. His TikTok account had around 93,000 followers.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the incident and has sought a report from police officials regarding the attack.