Prominent religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani said he escaped unharmed after a man pulled a knife on him at the Darul Uloom Korangi seminary during the early hours of Thursday morning.
Mufti Usmani — in an audio message — confirmed that the incident had taken place and said that the suspect had wanted to speak to him separately after Fajr prayers.
He said that he had just gotten up to meet with him when he brandished the knife. “Those around me quickly caught him,” he said, adding that he was not harmed. “An investigation is under way to determine the facts and the suspect’s motive,” he said.
However, an earlier statement issued by the Awami Colony police station said that the suspect, identified as Asim Laik, came to the seminary during Fajr prayers to meet Mufti Usmani “for dua”.
When security guards searched him, they recovered a “dagger” from his possession, the police statement said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Korangi Shah Jehan Khan said the suspect had expressed the desire to meet with Mufti Usmani separately after Fajr prayers.
“When the security guards searched the suspect, they found a knife in his pocket,” the SSP said. “After finding the knife on the suspect, the guards took him into custody and handed him over to the police,” the official added.
“The detained suspect claimed that he wanted to speak to the scholar about a domestic issue,” he said, adding that he was being questioned.
A team of the police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) interrogated the suspect. CTD official Raja Umer Khattab said that initial investigation showed the suspect did not make an “attempt on life of the scholar nor was it an act of terror”.
Khattab said that the suspect had no criminal record. “He is suffering from some psychological problems and has been getting medicines from doctors for the last two years,” he added.
The CTD official said the man had a real estate agency in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. He told the investigators that he was under the influence of ‘black magic’ in which his two wives were allegedly involved and carried the dagger because he feared they may attack him, the official said.
“He told the investigators that he wanted to get taveez (amulet) from Mufti Usmani to avoid purported adverse impact of ‘black magic’.”
After the incident, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed phoned Mufti Usmani to ask about his well-being. In a tweet, the minister said he was “deeply concerned” over the “attack” on the scholar. “Mufti Taqi Usmani is an eminent scholar and the pride of Islam. I pray for his life,” he said.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail also expressed concern over the incident. He directed the Karachi police chief to investigate the attack and submit a comprehensive report. “Steps should be taken to ensure the safety of religious scholars,” he said in a statement.
In 2019, Mufti Usmani had survived an attempt on his life. However, his police guard and a religious scholar were shot dead in the attack which took place near Karachi’s Nipa flyover.
Mufti Taqi Usmani, born in India in 1943, is the son of Mufti Azam Pakistan, Mohammed Shafi Usmani, an active member of Pakistan movement. He is both vice president of Darul Uloom Karachi and Fiqa academy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has also served as a judge of the federal shariat court.