ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor lost his life in a road accident in the federal capital, said the police on Saturday.
He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from the country's northwestern tribal belt during the last general elections in 2018.
In recent days, his ministry was focusing on making necessary arrangements for aspiring pilgrims from Pakistan who plan to perform Hajj this year.
“Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Maulana Abdul Shakoor died in a road accident,” said the Islamabad Capital Territory Police in a Twitter post. “He was heading towards Secretariat Chowk from Marriott [Hotel].”
The police informed that the tragic incident took place after a Toyota Hilux carrying five men hit the minister’s vehicle in Islamabad’s highly secured Red Zone.
“Maulana Abdul Shakoor was shifted to Polyclinic Hospital but he could not recover,” the police added.
The social media post mentioned that senior police officials were present at the site of the accident.
The occupants of the vehicle that rammed into the minister’s car have been taken into police custody.
Reacting to the development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened to hear about the sudden demise of his “friend, companion and an important member of the federal cabinet.”
“He was a pious scholar, an ideological political activist and a good human being,” he added. “May Allah grant forgiveness to the deceased and patience to his bereaved family.”
