ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami and a prominent cleric, was among four people killed in a suicide bombing at Darul Uloom Haqqania, a pro-Taliban seminary in Akora Khattak, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said Friday.
The explosion occurred inside the seminary after Friday prayers, targeting Hamidul Haq, according to Zulfiqar Hameed, the provincial police chief. More than 20 people were injured in the blast, and an emergency was declared at hospitals in nearby Peshawar.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene as police cordoned off the area for investigation. Witnesses reported that a section of the mosque was damaged by the explosion, Pakistani media reported.
Maulana Haq, a former lawmaker, led Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami after the assassination of his father, Maulana Samiul Haq, in 2018. The elder Haq, often referred to as the “father of the Taliban,” was a staunch supporter of the Afghan Taliban and founded Darul Uloom Haqqania, one of the most influential Islamic seminaries in Pakistan.
The madrassa, established in 1947 by Maulana Abdul Haq Haqqani, has long been controversial, with allegations that some of its students were linked to the 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The seminary has denied any involvement.
Among its most notable alumni are several senior Taliban figures, including Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister; Abdul Latif Mansoor; Mullah Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani network; and Khairullah Khairkhwa, a former Guantánamo Bay detainee, according to the BBC.
The attack comes as Pakistan grapples with a resurgence of militant violence, particularly in its western border regions. Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, militant activity has escalated. Last year, Pakistan recorded its highest number of casualties in six years, with more than 1,500 people—civilians, security forces, and militants—killed, according to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.
In a statement following the blast, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, calling terrorists “enemies of the country and humanity.” Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also denounced the bombing, saying such “cowardly and heinous acts of terrorism” would not weaken Pakistan’s resolve. He directed authorities to provide the best possible medical care to the injured and requested a detailed report on the incident.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and investigations are ongoing.
