By Asif Farooqi, IOL Correspondent

ISLAMABAD, May 31 (IslamOnline.net) – The assassination of the most revered Pakistani scholar Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai drew an outcry of rage and condemnation from the religious and political divide of the Muslim Southeast Asian country.

On Sunday May 30, six people on motorcycles and in cars opened fire on Shamzai as he drove out of his residence in the Binouri Town section of Pakistan 's biggest city and main port, Karachi.

Shamzai, 70, was rushed to hospital but he died there. Three people traveling with him were injured but their wounds were not life-threatening.

Sheikhul Hadith Shamzai was one of those rare figures in the country who despite their hardened religious and political beliefs were almost non-controversial as far as various religious sects are concerned.

The southern port city of Karachi, where the widely-respected scholar was killed, has been witnessing a wave of sectarian violence between Shiite and Sunni extremists. The violence includes attacks on mosques and religious gatherings.

However, Shiite leaders were as shocked and grieved over Shamzai's killing as those belonging to the Sunni sect of Mufti Shamzai.

A National Loss

“This is our national loss. This is a loss of (the) Islamic nation” Allama Hasan Turabi of the main Shiite sect told IslamOnline.net Monday, May 31. He said Mufti Shamzi was a peace loving Muslim who was above all types of division.

Turabi further added that Shamzai devoted his life for unity among all Muslims.

For his part, leader of the secular party MQM Altaf Hussain condemned the murder of  Mufti Shamzai and demanded strict action against the killers, according to a press statement immediately after the killing.

Hussain expressed his grief over the incident and said that MQM opposes every form of terrorism and condemns the terrorist act.

The MQM leader demanded President Pervez Musharraf to take notice of the gruesome act, urging the killers should be arrested and punished severely.

The government decided to institute a judicial enquiry by a High Court judge into the assassination of Shamzai besides announcing a reward of 2 million rupees to the one providing information against the assassins.

Chief Minister of Sindh province, for his part, said, “The martyrdom of Mufti Shamzai is an irreparable loss”, adding that he was a versatile religious scholar and believer of Pan-Islamism.

Highest Religious Degree

Shamzai was the most qualified religious personality in Pakistan who had the highest degree “sheikh Ul Hadith”.

He also owned one of the largest religious seminaries in the country and has a large following, especially in Karachi.

Shamzai was a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policies and was known for his links to former Afghan rulers Taliban and Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Many of Taliban leaders have been studying in his seminary in Binori Town, Karachi, including Mullah Mohammad Omer, the Taliban Supreme leader.

When Bin Laden announced Jihad against the United States in 1998, Shamzai was his official spokesman in Pakistan. He was the most vocal supporter of Al-Qaeda network and Taliban.

Shamzai was among a Pakistani official delegation to Afghanistan in late 2001 to convince Taliban to deliver Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden to the U.S.

Washington blamed the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington on Al-Qaeda but there was no evidence to support the claim.