Mufti Taqi Usmani survives knife attack in Karachi

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

Mufti Taqi Usmani survived a knife attack at Karachi’s Darul Uloom Korangi early Thursday morning.

He was attacked after Fajr prayers. The suspect approached the scholar on the pretext of talking to him. Mufti Usmani’s guard restrained the attacker.

He was caught by the guards and handed over to the Awami Colony police.

Mufti Taqi Usmani confirmed the incident in an audio message available with SAMAA TV.

“After the Fajar prayers, a man came and asked me to talk in private,” he said. “As I got up to talk and went close to him, he took out the knife from his pocket.”

The cleric said his fellows timely acted and grabbed hold of the assailant.

The suspect is a resident of Gulistan-e-Johar, according to Korangi SSP Shahjehan Baloch. "We have sezied a plastic bag from him which contains a woman's clothes and a knife."

He told the police that he recently got into a fight with his wife after which she left him. Despite multiple attempts she refused to return home. "I love her a lot and decided to visit the scholar for dum (cast away evil eye)," the suspect said.

SSP Baloch said that the police have begun questioning the attacker's family and are investigating details of the knife.

We can't confirm if this was a planned attack or a misunderstanding, the officer added.

In March 2019, a guard and driver were killed after attackers opened fire on Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani’s car at Karachi’s Nipa Chowrangi in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

In the same attack, Amir Shahab, the Khateeb of Baitul Mukkaram mosque, was injured. East DIG Aamer Farooqui said that contrary to earlier reports, the incidents were the same.

Mufti Taqi Usmani was a judge of the Federal Shariat Court from 1982 to 2002 and the vice-president of Darul Uloom Karachi.