Karachi: Police have detained a suspect in connection with the murder of an Islamic scholar who was the dean of Islamic Studies at the Karachi University. Professor Shakil Ahmad Auj was shot dead last week while he was on his way to a reception in his honour.

Karachi police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo told a press conference investigation into the murder was under way. Although several of his colleagues were interrogated, the police had taken one person into custody who was the PA to a co-vice chancellor of the NED University.

He said that the suspected man could not satisfy the police inquiries and thus was detained for further interrogation.

Professor Auj, 54, dean of Islamic Studies at the prestigious Karachi University was gunned down in his car on Thursday while on his way to an Iranian cultural centre where he was invited as a guest of honour.

Prof Auj, a recipient of a presidential medal of distinction, was known for his unorthodox views and was fighting a legal case against the originator of a widely circulated text message that called him an apostate.

Some false messages were also circulated claiming that Jamia Dar-ul-Uloom Karachi, a prestigious seminary that issues Islamic decrees or Fatwas, also issued a decree against the professor.

The Jamia on Tuesday published a front page advertisement belying such messages and denied that it had issued any such decree against the late professor.

The advertisement said that some unscrupulous elements misuse the official decrees of the Jamia by forging its original documents. Such bid was made two years ago as well in which a fatwa, purportedly issued by the Jamia, was circulated against him.

However, the Jamia had written a letter to the late professor disowning the fatwa against him.

Police suspected that the views the late professor held could cause serious offence to some conservative Muslims in Pakistan, which has been battling a home-grown Islamist insurgency for more than ten years.

The police chief also announced the arrest of five target killers, who belonged to banned militant groups and were involved in many killings in the city.

Thebo said that Qamar, one of the arrested men, who belonged to a banned outfit, killed seven people including Intelligence Bureau officer and his son. Another accused Kashif killed two policemen and political workers of several parties.