February 28, 2025
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
Hamid ul Haq Haqqani, leader of the JUI-Samiul Haq faction, was killed in a bomb blast during Friday prayers at the Jamia Uloom Haqqania mosque and seminary, situated in Akora Khattak, Nowshera. The blast also claimed the lives of at least six others and left several critically injured. Security sources said that the banned terrorist organization ‘Fitnal Khawarij’ (or TTP) was behind the attack.
The explosion occurred within the seminary’s compound, where a large congregation had gathered for prayers. Initial reports confirm at least six fatalities, with at least 15 individuals sustaining critical injuries. The mosque is located within the compound of the sprawling Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary, one of the country’s largest religious institutions with over 4,000 students.
Emergency response teams, swiftly arrived at the scene to provide medical assistance and transport the wounded to nearby hospitals, where an emergency situation was announced.
Law enforcement agencies have initiated a thorough investigation into the incident. According to Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Inspector General, Zulfiqar Hameed, preliminary investigations suggest the possibility of a suicide attack, and that Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani may have been the target of the attack.
Darul Uloom Haqqania is a mosque and seminary and is known as a ‘nursery of the Afghan Taliban’. The seminary was at one time run by Hamid ul Haq’s father Samiul Haq – known as the ‘father of the Afghan Taliban’ – and played a defining role in schooling the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan.
Background
Established in 1947, by the religious leader Maulana Abdul Haq Haqqani, the Jamia was known for its strict and rigid religious ideology. In the 1980s, the Jamia was one of the key seminaries from where the Pakistani and U.S. intelligence agencies used to recruit fighters for the jihad against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. This is the reason why some critics also refer to it the ‘University of Jihad’.
Maulana Samiul Haq – also a Senator – ran the seminary until his assassination in 2018. Under him, the Jamia played a significant role in helping many Taliban leaders graduate, including those who were close to the Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
For this reason, the place became known as the ‘nursery of the Afghan Taliban’, and Samiul Haq became known as the ‘father of the Afghan Taliban’. This list includes several notable figures associated with Darul Uloom Haqqania, ranging from influential religious leaders like Azizur Rahman Hazarvi and Muhammad Fareed to key political and militant leaders such as Jalaluddin Haqqani, Akhtar Mansoor, and Sirajuddin Haqqani. Mullah Omar, while not a student, received an honorary doctorate.
In 2013, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf government came under criticism after it approved a grant of Rs 300 million for the Jamia, forcing it to review it. The party chairman Imran Khan had stated at the time that the funds ‘would help the seminary students assimilate in society, bring them in to the mainstream and keep them away from radicalisation.’
In 2018, Samiul Haq was assassinated by being stabbed multiple times –- his son Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani took over the reins of the party.
The Jamia is said to have been involved in several incidents over the years including the allegation that some of its students were linked to the assassination of the former prime minister and the chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party, Benazir Bhutto. (However, the seminary has denied this involvement.)
It is important to remember that the senior leaders of the Jamia Haqqania played a crucial role in the Kabul agreement during 2013-14, and it is said were integral to the signing of the ceasefire agreement, which included a commitment to non-offensive behaviour towards Islamabad.
Hamid ul Haq Haqqani
Hamid ul Haq Haqqani served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 16 November 2002 until 10 October 2007, when he resigned in protest. After his father Sami ul Haq was assassinated, he took the reigns of the party JUI-S, and also became vice principal of the Jamia.
In March 2024, Hamid ul Haq Haqqani went to Afghanistan and held meetings with the Taliban leaders there, including Taliban Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs Maulvi Abdul Kabir, Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Khalil Haqqani and the governor of Logar and Paktika, which share borders with Pakistan, which makes them crucial in the context of cross-border movement including legitimate traders but also militant groups. Instability in these Afghan provinces can directly spill over into Pakistan.
As a result the two main factions ruling in Afghanistan – the Haqqani and Kandahari groups – told the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to engage in discussions with Islamabad to de-escalate tensions between the countries. Using the influence of the JUI-S in the region, Pakistan attempted to hold talks with the TTP.
In the recent past, Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani “took a clear and firm stance on women’s education” during a conference organized by the Muslim World League. He declared that preventing women from receiving education was against Islamic principles. After this, he reportedly received threats.
Rise in Militancy
The incident took place amidst the rising militancy in the province, especially at the border area. In the last one year, casualties broke a six-year record, with more than 1,500 civilians, security forces and militants killed, according to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.
In January 2025, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir had said that the main issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan take place from the presence of the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in Afghanistan and ongoing cross-border attacks.
Political statements and condemnations
Meanwhile condemnations have been pouring in from political leaders.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the blast saying, “Terrorists are the enemies of the country and humanity,” he said in a statement.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the blast. “Such cowardly and heinous acts of terrorism cannot dampen our resolve against terrorism,” he said. “[We are] resolute to completely eradicate all forms of terrorism from the country.”
The Prime Minister has instructed that the injured receive the best possible medical care and has requested a detailed report on the incident.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also “strongly condemned” the explosion at Darul Uloom Haqqania. He extended sympathy and condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured, in his post on X.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also condemned the incident, demanding an “immediate report” from authorities. In his statement, the chief minister urged officials to ensure timely rescue operations for the injured and to provide them with the best medical care available.
“Attacking innocent individuals in a place of worship is an inhumane act,” he stated and added that all available resources must be utilised to bring those responsible for this tragic event to justice.
KP Governor, Faisal Karim Kundi said that the blast was a conspiracy of forces hostile to Islam and Pakistan. The incompetence and collusion of the provincial government will be felt by the entire province, he said. “Getting rid of the rulers who have created terrorists in the province is very important.”