Dawn quoted Mirza as saying that he delivers lectures after Zuhr prayers every week on Sundays in his academy. Although all attendees pass through a security check before entering the venue, the assailant entered the academy in the morning and managed to hide the knife-like weapon. He then waited for the lecture to finish after 3 PM. During the post-lecture photo session with the scholar, the suspect ran towards him. The blade hit Mirza's shoulder and he was hospitalised for a short while before being discharged, the scholar told Dawn.
Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza has become known among the progressive circles for his sharp style of polemics and outspoken criticism of what he sees as weak arguments by a number of mainstream religious figures in South Asia. Some of his harshest criticism is reserved for those who, in his view, promote sectarian or divisive beliefs.