policemen were deployed.
Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, while condemning the assassination of Maulana Hassan Jan, said he had talked to the IGP NWFP and directed him to seal the city so that the killers could not escape.
Maulana Hassan Jan was a top religious leader who was respected among the followers of every sect. He was also respected in many Islamic countries. The late Maulana was elected member of the National Assembly in 1990 when he made an upset by defeating Rahbar-e-Tehrik of the Awami National Party (ANP) Khan Abdul Wali Khan. Khan retired from politics after that defeat. Later, the Maulana also resigned from his assembly seat, arguing it was affecting his religious activities.
Maulana Hassan Jan, who was a teacher of the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and a number of ministers and parliamentarians, had always played a key role whenever any religious issue arose in any part of the country.
The late Maulana was born in January 1938 in Prang, Charsadda. After completing his religious education at Jamia Islami Akora Khattak, he proceeded to Madina Munawwara for higher education. He also obtained gold medal from the Peshawar University in MA Islamiat.
Political leaders including ANP President, Asfandyar Wali Khan, Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro, NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai, MMA Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad, JUI Chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman, JUI-S Chief Maulana Samiul Haq, MQM Chief Altaf Hussain, MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar, PPP leader Rahimdad Khan, Federal Minister Ijazul Haq, Senator Khalid Jan and several others have condemned the cold-blooded murder in the strongest terms.
The funeral prayer of Maulana would be offered today (Sunday) at 10 am at Qayyum Stadium. Agencies add: Maulana Hasan Jan was regarded as a friend of Taliban chief Mullah Omar. He was in a group of Pakistani scholars who traveled to Afghanistan in late 2001 in an attempt to convince Omar that he should expel Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan to avoid American attacks. Omar rejected the plea and a U.S.-led invasion later ousted the Taliban from power.