Pakistan has been thrown into renewed political and security turmoil after the assassination of prominent cleric and political leader Sheikh Muhammad Idris, prompting the religious-political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) to call for a strike in the border city of Chaman. The killing has heightened fears of escalating militant violence in the region and threatens to further destabilize already fragile relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Idris was shot on Tuesday by unidentified gunmen while traveling to the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border. Two police officers accompanying him were also wounded during the attack. The seminary where Idris taught is one of the most influential Islamic institutions in the region and has long been known as the “University of Jihad” due to its historical role in educating numerous figures within the Afghan Taliban leadership.
The assassination immediately triggered outrage among supporters of the JUI-F party, one of Pakistan’s most powerful religious political movements. Party leaders condemned the killing as an assault on religious leadership and national stability, while announcing a strike in Chaman to protest what they described as worsening insecurity and government failures to protect influential figures.
Sheikh Muhammad Idris played a critical role as an intermediary between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban, particularly in negotiations concerning the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. He had reportedly traveled to Kabul multiple times in recent months in an effort to reduce tensions between the two neighboring countries and to facilitate dialogue aimed at curbing cross-border militancy.
The Afghan Taliban strongly condemned the assassination. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid described the killing as an act carried out by “enemies of Islam and of the wise,” signaling the gravity of the incident within Taliban circles. Taliban officials also suggested that the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K or ISK) could be responsible for the attack, pointing to previous threats made against Idris in extremist propaganda linked to the group.
Security analysts note that ISIS-K has increasingly targeted clerics, mediators, and political figures it views as supportive of state institutions or diplomatic engagement. According to regional reports, Idris may have been specifically targeted for backing Pakistan’s political system and maintaining close ties with Army Chief Asim Munir, who has emerged as a central figure in regional mediation efforts involving Afghanistan and Iran.
The killing comes amid a dramatic surge in terrorist violence across Pakistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone accounts for roughly 70 percent of the more than 5,300 terrorist incidents recorded in the country during 2025. Authorities continue to battle attacks linked to the TTP, ISIS-K, and several unidentified armed factions operating near the Afghan frontier.
Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have deteriorated sharply in recent months, with Pakistan repeatedly accusing Afghanistan of allowing TTP militants to use Afghan territory to organize attacks against Pakistani targets. Earlier this year, Pakistan declared what officials described as an “open war” against militant threats originating from Afghanistan, significantly escalating diplomatic and military tensions between the two countries.
The assassination of Sheikh Muhammad Idris is now being viewed as a dangerous turning point in the region’s already volatile security landscape. With no group officially claiming responsibility, fears are growing that the attack could ignite further instability, intensify militant reprisals, and complicate ongoing efforts to prevent a broader regional conflict along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
