At least five people, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI)-S leader Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, were killed and 20 injured when a suicide blast ripped through the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district, according to officials. The attack was orchestrated ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramazan which begins either tomorrow (Saturday) or the day after tomorrow (Sunday), depending on the sighting of the moon.
Haqqani’s father Sami ul Haq was assassinated in November 2018. He was known as the Father of Taliban for the role his seminary Darul Uloom Haqqania played in the graduation of many Taliban leaders and commanders. Incidentally, the Haqqani network or Haqqani brothers, presently hold some of the most powerful positions in the Taliban government that runs Afghanistan now. At one time, most present day Taliban leaders had close ties to Mullah Mohammad Omar who had founded the Taliban in 1994.
Sami ul Haq Haq supported General Zia ul Haq and his policies of radicalisation and as a reward, the Pakistani dictator had made him a member of the Pakistani Senate in 1985 and he remained a Senator till late 1997.
The blast that killed Maulana Haqqani tore through the main prayer hall of the madrasa as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, according to KP Police Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed. “It was a suicide blast. Three policemen were also injured in the attack,” Hameed said, according to reports appearing in Pakistani media outlets.
A statement from the Directorate of Public Relations KP Police said that the blast occurred at 2pm, adding that police and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the site of the incident. It appeared that Maulana Haqqani, head of the seminary, was the target of the suicide blast. “He was a great religious scholar whose immense services to Islam are unforgettable,” said Adviser to KP Chief Minister Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif in a statement.
Rescue officials transported the injured to nearby hospitals. The KP government declared an emergency in all hospitals and health facilities across Peshawar, about 70km away from Nowshera by road.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur ordered an immediate report on the incident and directed officials to “provide the best medical facilities” to the wounded.
The deceased Maulana Haqqani, the son of assassinated cleric Maulana Sami ul Haq, served as vice chancellor of the Darul Uloom Haqqania and chairman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) political party. He previously served as a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007.
Last year, Maulana Haqqani had led a delegation of religious scholars to Afghanistan for “religious diplomacy” meetings with Taliban leaders. After the trip, he had claimed that his visit helped reduce tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. The reason he could intercede on behalf the Pakistani government was that many of the present Taliban ministers were once students of his madrasa.
The Haqqania madrasa and many of its former students were accused of scripting and orchestrating the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto during General Pervez Musharraf’s rule. The madrasa has, however, denied having any connection with the suspects.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, husband of late Bhutto, condemned the “heinous act of targeting worshippers in a suicide attack”, according to a statement from the President’s House. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also condemned the attack in which Haqqania madrasa’s top man has died.
the seminary include Taliban leaders Amir Khan Muttaqi, Abdul Latif Mansoor, Maulvi Ahmad Jan, Mullah Jalaludin Haqani, Maulvi Qalamudin, Arifullah Arif and Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa. Muttaqi is presently the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan and often travels to select destinations representing the Taliban government. Besides, Mullah Khairkhwa the Taliban Minister for Information and Culture and was held held at the US Guantanamo Bay Detainment Camp in Cuba for 12 years.
Maulvi Qalamuddin was once deputy minister for the General Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Elimination of Vice (Amr-e-Bil M’arouf wa Nahi Anil Munkar) during the 1996-2001 Taliban regime. He oversaw the implementation of the extreme and strict Islamic laws through religious police squads who ran surveillance on the Afghan populace. Activities included public beatings of women who were deemed to be dressed improperly.
Mullah Jalaluddin Haqqani, who died in 2018, was an Afghan insurgent commander who founded the Haqqani network. The Haqqani network fought against the US-led NATO forces and the former Afghan government.
Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor holds the position of the acting Minister of Energy and Water, a position he has held since September 2021. He is also a senior leader of the Taliban religious organisation.
“We strongly condemn the attack, we know them as the enemies of the religion, we have tried our best to eliminate them successfully,” said Afghan interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani in Kabul. He said that the attack was the handiwork of the Islamic State (IS) group. However, no group has so far claimed responsibility for carrying out the attack.
Meanwhile, an explosion in a motorcycle near Jan Muhammad Road in Balochistan’s Quetta some hours later after the Nowshera blast injured 10 people, according to the police. After the blast, police and rescue teams rushed to the scene and launched relief efforts and take the injured to nearby hospitals. In a statement, the police said the explosive materials were strapped with a motorcycle.
