In Quetta, a well-known prayer leader was tragically killed by unknown assailants on motorcycles in the Nawan Killi area on Friday evening. His burial took place in his home province of Zabul, Afghanistan, as reported by officials on Sunday.
The remains of cleric Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada were transported to Afghanistan by his family, as an unnamed official informed. The official disclosed that Mr. Akhundzada served as a leader of the Afghan Taliban, residing in Nawan Killi, a community near Quetta’s outskirts, for over 13 years.
Prior to his assassination, he had succeeded his father as the prayer leader at the same mosque. Approximately 55 years old, Akhundzada held a Pakistani national identity card and owned a house in the area.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban government, shared on social media platform X that Mr. Akhundzada was a prominent religious scholar and had previously instructed at a Taliban-operated madrassa in Kandahar. Additionally, he was a member of the Afghan Taliban’s oversight committee.
The Quetta authorities have commenced an inquiry regarding the murder case. A high-ranking police official mentioned, “We are currently examining the murder of Molvi Mohammad Omar Jan, although we were initially uninformed about his role in the Taliban administration in Afghanistan.” Further details will be disclosed upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Reports indicate that Mr. Akhundzada relocated to Quetta approximately 13 years prior, due to disputes with the Afghan Taliban, where he resided with his father in Nawan Killi. Nevertheless, his family maintains no connections to the Taliban administration.
Furthermore, sources reveal that Mr. Akhundzada was closely associated with the Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, who had previously served as an imam in a Kuchlak mosque before leading the Afghan Taliban.
Quetta’s local police authorities have not yet received any claims of responsibility for the assassination of Molvi Mohammad Omar Jan.