Masood ur Rehman Usmani

Masood-ur-Rehman Usmani (c. 1968 – 5 January 2024) was a Pakistani Islamic scholar and religious leader who served as the Central Deputy Secretary of Sunni Ulema Council and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, renamed Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) until his death. He was shot by an unknown person in Islamabad on 5 January 2024. He was also a member of Council of Islamic Ideology, a constituent body of Government of Pakistan.

Usmani was arrested in April 2018 by unknown persons from Sharifabad area under Koral police station. After his disappearance, his supporters blocked the Islamabad Expressway. However, the circumstances surrounding his arrest are still unclear.

Early life
Maulana Usmani was born in 1968 in the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. He received his religious education at various madrasas, including Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi and Jamia Ashrafia Lahore. He earned the distinguished title of "Maulana" by completing his Dars-e-Nizami, a traditional Islamic scholarly program.

Assassination
Masood ur Rehman Usmani was shot dead on 5 January 2024 by bike-borne shooters in Ghori Town, a suburb in Islamabad. He was taken to the hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Funeral
Thousands of mourners attended a funeral Saturday for a Pakistani Sunni Muslim cleric gunned down in broad daylight on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, police and a spokesman for the cleric’s organization said:

The funeral of Masood-ur-Rehman Usmani was held a day after unidentified gunmen shot and killed him and wounded his driver in the neighborhood of Ghauri Town, according to a statement issued by the Islamabad police.

Investigation
Immediately after the incident, a heavy police force reached the spot and cordoned off the area and an investigation has been started to arrest the accused.