A liberal religious scholar and professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Karachi was shot dead on Thursday by unknown assailants, two years after being labelled an “apostate” in an SMS campaign.
Dr Shakeel Auj (54) was shot three times in his neck and chest in Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal town near the Baitul Mukarram mosque as he was heading towards the Iranian consulate where he was invited as a guest of honour.
Auj was taken to the Aga Khan University Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, the Dawn reported. President Mamnoon Hussain has strongly condemned the deadly attack on the professor who was a recipient of a presidential medal of distinction.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Pir Mohammad Shah told BBC Urdu that a madrassah in Karachi had issued a fatwa relating to alleged blasphemy against Auj.
“He was rushed to the hospital but died,” he said. The SSP added that following the fatwa, a message declaring the professor as ‘wajibul qatl’ (liable to be killed) was made public via SMS messages.