PESHAWAR: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Friday held a second round of protest rallies across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the killing of prominent cleric Maulana Muhammad Idrees, according to a statement released by the party’s media cell.

On Tuesday, JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced that the party would hold two rounds of protest rallies — on Wednesday and Friday — against the “martyrdom” of the cleric. The party had also staged demonstrations on Wednesday.

“On the appeal of the JUI-F, protest rallies were held across all districts of the province today after Friday prayers against the killing of Maulana Idrees,” the statement said.

It added that a large protest demonstration was also staged by JUI-F outside the Peshawar Press Club, with protesters demanding the immediate arrest of the killers of Maulana Idrees.

The statement said the protestors decried the worsening law and order situation in the province and the “frequent killings of religious scholars”.

“JUI is being punished for standing with the Constitution, law, and the state,” said the statement.

The statement also quoted JUI-F provincial spokesperson Abdul Jalil Jan as saying: “After Friday prayers today, strong protests were held at district and tehsil levels in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Swabi, Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohistan, Battagram, Torghar, Shangla, Swat, Buner, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Chitral, Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Karak, Hangu, Kohat, and the tribal districts.”

Addressing the demonstrations, the statement said that JUI-F provincial and district leaders condemned the deteriorating law and order situation across the province, the killing of religious scholars, and government measures against madrasas.

“They said those trying to remove religious scholars from the scene should know that the JUI-F will continue to fight for the defence of Islam and Pakistan. They assured the central leadership that workers across the province would be ready at a moment’s notice,” the party statement added.

A large protest demonstration was also held outside the Peshawar Press Club.

Addressing the protest demonstration, the party leadership held the provincial government, administration, and state institutions responsible for the killing of religious scholars, the statement added.

Maulana Idrees was killed on Tuesday after unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle in the Tari­qabad area of Utmanzai.

PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Wednesday held protest rallies across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the killing of prominent cleric and former MPA Maulana Muhammad Idrees, said a statement issued by the party’s media cell.

On Tuesday, JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced that the party would hold protests all over the country on Wednesday and Friday against the “martyrdom” of the cleric.

“At the call of JUI-F, protest rallies were held in all districts across the province against the killing of Maulana Idrees. Participants demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible,” the statement said.

“The participants said the frequent killings of religious scholars and government actions against seminaries indicate the implementation of an international agenda, and that JUI is being punished for standing with the Constitution, law, and the state,” it added.

The statement also quoted JUI-F provincial spokesperson Abdul Jalil Jan as saying, “Protests were held today across district and tehsil headquarters in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Swabi, Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohistan, Battagram, Torghar, Shangla, Swat, Buner, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Chitral, Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Karak, Hangu, Kohat and the tribal districts against the killing of Maulana Idrees.”

During the rallies, the speakers condemned the worsening law and order situation, the killing of religious scholars, and government measures against madrasas, warning that those targeting religious scholars should take note that JUI-F would continue to fight for the defence of Islam and Pakistan, it added.

Meanwhile, the statement added that a large protest demonstration was led from Namak Mandi Mosque in Peshawar by Jalil Jan, Peshawar district emir Syed Miskeen Shah, General Secretary Maulana Ahmad Ali Darvesh, former mayor Haji Zubair Ali, Inamullah Advocate, former Tehsil Nazim Kaleemullah, and other leaders. Slogans were also raised against the government.

Addressing the demonstration, the speakers added that despite government oppression and injustice, JUI-F would continue its mission, the statement said.

Maulana Idrees was killed on Tuesday after unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle in the Tari­qabad area of Utmanzai.

According to the police, the initial investigations suggested that the attack was a targeted killing

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had also issued statements, expressing grief over his killing and condemning the incident.

• CM-led gathering terms civilian casualties from terrorism, drone strikes ‘unacceptable’
• KP cabinet to discuss issue tomorrow, followed by grand tribal jirga on Saturday

PESHAWAR: As civilians bear the brunt of drone attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s merged districts, a meeting of lawmakers from the respective districts decided on Tuesday that the issue would be taken up in the provincial assembly, while vowing to put up a joint front to protect civilians.

The decision was taken as lawmakers from across the merged districts convened at the CM House for a special meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, to discuss the security situation in the province amid an uptick in drone strikes.

The Jirga was organised by the CM following a drone strike in his native Khyber district, which claimed the life of a minor girl and injured six members of a family a day earlier. The family of the slain girl held a protest in Peshawar near the Hayatabad toll plaza, and were dispersed by violent police action.

According to a statement issued after the jirga, it was decided to summon a special session of the provincial assembly on Thursday, followed by a special cabinet meeting on Friday, and a grand tribal jirga on Saturday to discuss the issue.

The participants declared the civilian casualties from both terrorism and drone strikes were unacceptable, saying the people from tribal areas were paying a “double price”.

“Neither terrorism nor civilian deaths in drone strikes are acceptable,” they said, according to a statement issued by the CM’s media office. The participants also demanded an end to this cycle of violence, saying tribal districts could not be subjected to a condition in which they were simultaneously victims of militant violence and collateral damage from operations.

They also took exception to the classification of civilian casualties as “mistakes,” questioning why these so-called mistakes persistently occurred in populated areas, a participant of the meeting told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

The Jirga also questioned intelligence verification standards and the adequacy of safeguards intended to protect non-combatants, saying repeated incidents pointed to systemic deficiencies rather than isolated errors.

“Despite modern technology, continuous mistakes resulting in civilian martyrdom are not acceptable under any circumstances,” a CM Office statement said, adding that apologies could not compensate for lives since the losses were irreparable.

During the meeting, CM Afridi said the province could not afford further unrest, urging the decision-makers to “understand that the blood of the people is not cheap”. He said Rs 26 billion were provided to the Counter-Terrorism Department and the Special Branch this year to strengthen provincial counter-terrorism capabilities. He also cancelled his visit to Lahore.

According to the participants, the protection of civilian life must be non-negotiable and any framework that would put civilians in harm’s way was unacceptable, the insider told Dawn.

The lawmakers also agreed on the need to adopt a unified strategy irrespective of political affiliation, saying individual stances had not yielded results in the past. They also reiterated that the deaths due to drone attacks could not be compensated through financial packages and that preventing such incidents must be the foremost priority of the state.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2026