Tension is running high in parts of northwest Pakistan , particularly in regions inhabited by Pashtun and Baloch tribes across the north and southwest of the country, following the assassination of a prominent religious scholar who had played significant religious and political roles, most recently in efforts to reconcile Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Sheikh Muhammad Idris was assassinated on Tuesday, 5 May, near his home in the town of Charsadda, close to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan. Armed men opened fire on him from multiple directions, killing him instantly. Two police officers accompanying him were also injured, one of them critically wounded. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killing.
In a comment to The New Arab, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Islamic State carries out such attacks, targeting prominent figures such as Sheikh Muhammad Idris. "We all know who funds ISIS", he added, in an apparent reference to the Pakistani military, reiterating a claim he has made on several previous occasions.
Sheikh Muhammad Idris was regarded as one of the leading scholars in the region and taught at the well-known Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary. He also held political influence, serving as a member of the provincial parliament in 2002, and was a senior leader and member of the Shura Council of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, one of Pakistan’s largest religious parties led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
He also maintained strong ties with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, as many of the movement’s leaders and government officials were among his students. He had met, alongside Jamiat leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, with Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in January 2025 to seek solutions to outstanding issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They stated that the Taliban government had agreed to resolve all issues and cooperate in this regard, but that the Pakistani military rejected the settlement and worked to undermine their efforts.
Idris also formed a committee of religious scholars from Pakistan and Afghanistan, appointing ten scholars from each country to work toward resolving the conflict between the two states. The committee was chaired by Maulana Mutasim Agha Jan, former finance minister in the first Taliban government in the 1990s. Idris played a key role in its formation, and it has not yet formally begun its work, despite being announced only days ago. Mourning, strikes, and protests As convoys from across north and southwest Pakistan headed to Charsadda to attend the funeral and burial rites of the cleric, students blocked major roads in the northwest. Traders' unions also announced a suspension of commercial activity and the closure of markets on Wednesday due to the prevailing situation.
For its part, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam announced a general protest in northwest Pakistan and threatened to shut down entire cities if the government did not move to arrest those responsible for the killing.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the killing and expressed deep sorrow over the incident.
The Taliban government also strongly condemned the killing of the religious scholar, describing it as a loss for the Muslim world and the peoples of the region. It said enemies of religion and regional security carried out the attack.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a brief statement that the assassination of the cleric was an attempt to eliminate all efforts aimed at bringing peace to the region.
Sheikh Idris had recently praised the Pakistani military's role in mediating between the United States and Iran. He had mentioned Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, by name, praising his role and referring to him as " Hafiz ," meaning "guardian."
In a Friday sermon one week earlier, he said that rapprochement between the United States and Pakistan would make Islamabad an important and respected country globally. These remarks had sparked concern within religious and tribal circles in northwest Pakistan, although he continued to be widely respected and held significant influence among Pashtun communities. Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here .