Barrister Usman Ali, Ph.D.
The martyrdom of Maulana Muhammad Idrees Jan, a respected religious scholar, former member of the provincial assembly, and Sheikh-ul-Hadith from Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has once again raised painful questions about the province’s worsening law-and-order situation. According to reports, he was targeted in broad daylight. The attackers escaped, and, as usual, early accounts described them as “unknown persons.” For the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, this phrase has long ceased to be a routine legal expression. It has become a bitter symbol of grieving families, failed investigations, and a state unable to bring killers to justice.
Maulana Muhammad Idrees Jan was not merely a religious scholar. He was known as a compassionate teacher, a dignified political figure, a patriotic Pakistani, and a preacher of peace and moderation. He consistently spoke of unity, restraint, and loyalty to Pakistan. The tragedy is that a man who raised his voice against unrest became a victim of that very unrest. Thousands attended his funeral, offered prayers, shed tears, and returned home. But the question remains: has this become the fate of our people, to carry coffins, hear condolence statements, wait a few days, and then fall silent?
After the incident, familiar statements of condemnation were issued by government and administrative circles. Those in power said such cowardly acts of terrorism could not weaken the nation’s resolve. They promised indiscriminate action against terrorist elements and assured the public that the killers would soon be brought before the law. Yet public memory tells a different story. Such statements remain in the headlines for a few days, then files disappear into cold storage, and the names of the victims are added to a long list in which the column for justice remains empty.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has endured terrorism, targeted killings, and a grave security crisis for years. Religious, political, social, and tribal figures across the province have repeatedly been targeted. After the killings of Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani, Maulana Khan Zeb, Mufti Munir Shakir, Maulana Sanaullah, and many other respected figures, the public asked the same questions: who are the killers, who protects them, and why are state institutions unable to bring them before the law? Sadly, most such cases fade away after a few days of heated debate, strong statements, and formal promises.
One particularly serious aspect of Maulana Muhammad Idrees Jan’s martyrdom is the organized campaign of hatred that reportedly circulated against him on social media. Following some of his sermons, especially his clear stance against terrorism and Fitna al-Khawarij, he was subjected to criticism, ridicule, and abuse by certain circles. Inappropriate memes were made about him. He was labelled a “state mullah,” an “agent of the establishment,” and worse. This dimension cannot be ignored. It demands serious investigation.
In a sensitive society like Pakistan, words do not remain mere words. We have seen too many examples where propaganda, character assassination, and hateful narratives have pushed vulnerable minds toward violence. In a society where religion, politics, ethnicity, and state affairs already carry deep emotional weight, social media hate campaigns cannot be dismissed as harmless noise. Disagreement is every citizen’s right, but branding a religious scholar, journalist, politician, or social figure as a traitor, agent, disbeliever, enemy, or tool of the state creates a dangerous atmosphere. Once a person is dehumanized and organized hatred is built around them, a weak mind, an extremist element, or an organized group can turn that hatred into bloodshed.
For this reason, the investigation into Maulana Muhammad Idrees Jan’s killing must not stop with those who pulled the trigger. It must also examine whether a deliberate campaign created the environment for his targeting. Were political, ideological, or extremist groups involved in demonizing him? Did online propaganda contribute to the climate in which this crime became possible? These are not secondary questions; they are central to understanding the chain that often connects hate speech to violence.
The governance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past thirteen years also requires serious scrutiny. The people of the province are justified in asking when peace, education, health, employment, development, and prosperity will become the real priorities of those in power. If provincial leadership spends most of its energy on political confrontation, protest politics, statements against the federal government, and party interests, then who will address the people’s basic needs? The war against terrorism cannot be won through speeches alone. It requires policy, intelligence coordination, police reform, judicial progress, local trust, and a political leadership that treats security as a priority rather than a slogan.
It is a bitter reality that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are repeatedly remembered when sacrifices are required, but a lasting strategy to heal their wounds is rarely visible. After every killing, people are urged to remain patient, yet meaningful action remains missing. Killers are not arrested, cases are not pursued transparently, and future attacks are not prevented. As a result, many citizens feel that their lives, scholars, elders, and voices have been reduced to mere numbers on a larger political chessboard.
To treat the martyrdom of Maulana Muhammad Idrees Jan as the killing of one individual would be a mistake. It reflects a broader crisis in which terrorism, hate-driven politics, social media propaganda, weak governance, and state inaction feed one another. If action against Fitna al-Khawarij is necessary, then action under the law against internal discord, organized hatred, and those who create an atmosphere of violence is equally necessary. Those who poison society and normalize labels of treachery or death are no less dangerous to peace than those who carry guns.
The time has come to ensure that Maulana Muhammad Idrees Jan’s martyrdom does not become just another news item, another funeral, another condolence statement, and another file marked “unknown persons.” The government, administration, police, judiciary, and state institutions must conduct a transparent, serious, and result-oriented investigation. If a hate campaign was run on social media, its organizers must be exposed. If terrorist networks were involved, their facilitators must be traced. If political or administrative negligence played a role, it too must be held accountable.
The people of Pakhtunkhwa have carried enough coffins. They have heard enough statements. They have seen enough promises. They want peace, not funerals; development, not condolence statements; protection, not assurances. The true demand of Maulana Muhammad Idrees Jan’s martyrdom is that the killers be exposed, the business of hatred be stopped, and the province be given leadership that places the lives, dignity, and future of its people above politics. Otherwise, history will record that a nation kept burying its elders, rulers kept issuing statements, and killers remained “unknown” while a known system kept failing.
