ISIS-affiliated accounts on social media have claimed responsibility for yesterday’s suicide bombing at Haqqania Madrasa in Akora Khattak during Friday prayer. The attack resulted in the death of the madrasa’s administrator, Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq, along with several of his associates. Security agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have confirmed that at least 22 others were injured in the explosion.
Taliban administration strongly condemned the explosion at the Haqqaniyya school in Akura, Khattak, Pakistan, and expressed condolences over the killing of Hamidul Haq Haqqani, the head of the school. In a statement, the Taliban spokesman called the killing of Hamidul Haq Haqqani a “great loss for scholarly circles.”
Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Taliban administration offers condolences to the family of Hamidul Haq Haqqani over his death. At the same time, the Taliban embassy in Islamabad condemned the explosion at the Haqqani school and offered condolences for the killing of Hamidul Haq Haqqani.
The Taliban embassy issued a statement calling the attack “cowardly,” wishing the injured a speedy recovery, and expressing condolences to the families of the deceased. On Friday, 28 Feb, an explosion occurred at the Haqqaniyya School during Friday prayers, killing at least five people and wounding several others.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief has confirmed that Hamidul Haq Haqqani, the head of the Haqqania Madrassa, has died in hospital from severe injuries sustained in the blast. Pakistani police said that six people, including Hamidul Haq, were killed in the blast and fifteen others were injured.
Hamidul Haq was known as the “spiritual father of the Taliban,” and many Taliban leaders and individuals were trained at the Haqqaniyya school. He met with the group’s officials during a trip to Kabul last year. He said that the trip had helped reduce tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.
According to information published on the Haqqaniyya School website, the school was founded by Maulana Abdul Haqq Haqqani in September 1947. The school has faced controversy in the past, with its students accused of involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. However, the school has denied any connection with the suspects. Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government was known to give $3 million to the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary, also known as the “University of Jihad.”
Did Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq’s Statements Against the Pakistani Army Lead to His Martyrdom?
A deadly bomb blast at Darul Uloom Haqqania after Friday prayers claimed the life of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S) leader Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq, along with several students. Following his martyrdom, resurfaced videos show him strongly criticizing the Pakistani army and government. In one speech, he declared:
“We do not fear martyrdom. Your intentions toward us are corrupt. Our children will never forgive the Pakistani Army and Government.”
In another statement, he alleged that the Pakistani military was infiltrated by “Qadianis, Jews, and Christian allies.” Given his recent outspoken remarks, political
Pro Taliban accounts posted a video today, in which Maulana Abdul Haq Sani, the son of Maulana Hamidul Haq, was heard shouting angrily at his father’s funeral that “we want a pure Islamic system in Pakistan and will enforce it by force.” We will implement an Islamic system in Pakistan. This country is ours. We will avenge the blood of our martyrs,” he said at the gathering, held at Darul Uloom Haqqania, in Akora Khattak.
“As long as a member of the Haqqania family remains, we will continue Maulana Sami-ul-Haq’s mission and never compromise on the teachings of Islam,” he added, referring to his grandfather, the influential cleric often called the “Father of the Taliban.”
The funeral, attended by thousands of scholars, political figures, and members of the public, also marked the appointment of Rashid-ul-Haq Haqqani as the new deputy head of pro-Taliban seminary, Darul Uloom Haqqania, following the assassination of his brother, Hamid-ul-HaqHaqqani, in a suicide bombing.