Maulana Samiul Haq’s Funeral to be Held in his Hometown at 3 pm
The prominent Pakistani cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, known as the “father of the Taliban”, has been killed in a knife attack Friday night at his home in Rawalpindi, Pakistani Security officials confirmed.
The prominent Pakistani cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, known as the “father of the Taliban”, has been killed in a knife attack Friday night at his home in Rawalpindi, Pakistani Security officials confirmed.
Haq’s son, Hamidul Haq, said his father was alone in his bedroom when he was attacked by an assailant, who escaped undetected.
“My father has been martyred. He was alone at his home. His guard had gone out minutes before the attack and upon his return, he saw my father in critical condition,” he told reporters.
Police said Haq, 81, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Yousaf Shah, Haq’s spokesman, said neither the attacker nor their motive was yet known.
Haq, a well-known religious scholar with a large following among radical Islamists, was the head of his faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party.
His Haqqani seminary taught many Taliban leaders and thousands of other students.
In recent weeks, dozens of Afghan clerics appealed to Haq to use his influence with Afghanistan’s Taliban to plot a path to peace that would end the 17-year war there.
Pakistan’s president, Arif Alvi, and the prime minister, Imran Khan, condemned Haq’s killing.
“We lost a great scholar and religious leader today,” said Khan in a statement from China, where he is on an official visit.
No group or individual has yet claimed responsibility.
Haq’s funeral will be held on Saturday in Akora Khattak.
