Charsadda: A prominent religious and political figure of Pakistan, former member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and renowned Islamic scholar Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Idris Tarangzai was martyred on Tuesday morning in a planned targeted attack in the Utmanzai area of Charsadda district. The tragic incident occurred at around 7:30 a.m. when the scholar was travelling to Jamia Darul Uloom Utmanzai to deliver his regular Hadith lecture.
Details of the Attack
According to police sources, unidentified armed assailants opened indiscriminate fire on Maulana’s vehicle when he reached near the seminary. As a result of the attack, Maulana Idris sustained critical injuries and passed away on the way to the hospital. His two security guards were also severely injured.
As news of his martyrdom spread, thousands of followers and students rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital Charsadda, where a deeply mournful atmosphere prevailed. Angry crowds staged protests and blocked Tangi Road, causing severe disruption.
Al-Marsad Campaign and Targeting of Maulana
The martyrdom of Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Idris Tarangzai is being described by observers not as a random incident but as part of a calculated conspiracy. In a recent Friday sermon, Maulana had openly supported the policies of the State of Pakistan and praised the efforts of Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for regional peace.
Shortly after this, a hostile propaganda campaign was launched against him from across the border by Afghan intelligence-linked propaganda outlet Al-Marsad and Taliban-affiliated social media accounts. The campaign included lengthy posts in Pashto labeling him a “state collaborator,” along with direct threats to his life.
Experts say that the propaganda threats issued through Al-Marsad appear to have culminated in this targeted attack. It is also noteworthy that many members of the current Afghan Taliban leadership were once students of Maulana Idris, making his targeting over political differences and support for Pakistan’s state institutions a serious ideological conflict.
Academic and Teaching Contributions
Maulana Muhammad Idris was born in 1961 in Tarangzai into a respected scholarly family. His father, Maulana Hakim Abdul Haq, and grandfather Mufti Shehzada were well-known religious scholars. He was also the son-in-law of the late great scholar Zinat-ul-Muhadditheen Maulana Hassan Jan Shaheed.
He taught Sahih Bukhari and Jami’ al-Tirmidhi for over 30 years continuously. He served as Sheikh-ul-Hadith at both Jamia Naumania Utmanzai and the historic Jamia Haqqania, where more than 2,000 students attended his classes directly. At Jamia Naumania, over 900 students were enrolled in his Dars-e-Hadith program.
Political and Mediation Role
Maulana Idris also served as a former member of the provincial assembly. In 2004, he played a historic role in the passage of the Sharia Bill in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. After the martyrdom of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, he was considered one of the most credible figures in Pakistan-Afghanistan reconciliation efforts.
In 2024, he visited Afghanistan alongside Maulana Fazlur Rehman, where he held important meetings with Taliban supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada and Afghan leadership aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the TTP issue.
Targeting of Religious Scholars
The targeted killing of prominent religious scholars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become a deeply alarming trend. Just two weeks earlier, another respected Salafi scholar, Sheikh Yousaf Afridi, was martyred in a similar attack.
The ongoing campaign against scholars is being linked to extremist factions who, according to analysts, are systematically targeting those supporting Pakistan’s narrative of peace and stability. The attack on Maulana Idris, who had reportedly received direct threats from propaganda platforms such as Al-Marsad, is being seen as further evidence of this coordinated campaign against religious scholars advocating peace.
Funeral Announcement
With the martyrdom of Maulana Idris, Pakistan has lost a moderate, patriotic, and highly respected religious scholar. According to family sources, his funeral prayer will be held today, Tuesday, at 5:30 PM in his native village Tarangzai, Charsadda district.
