PESHAWAR: To weather the storm of the dry cold of February 15 this year, Maulana Hamidul Haq, the vice chancellor of Jamia Darul Uloom Haqqania—one of Pakistan’s most important Islamic seminaries—stepped outside of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister House’s lounge for a while to bask in the sunlight.
The journalistic instinct of a reporter, present at the scene, compelled him to ask what brought him outside.
With a smile, Haq replies, “No heater can ever be a substitute for the sun’s warmth in extreme cold. That’s why I stepped outside for a while.”
The Chief Minister’s House, Peshawar, was hosting a pivotal meeting with religious scholars and political leaders from diverse ideological backgrounds. The main agenda was to explore ways to revive dialogue with Afghanistan.
When asked about this, Haq remarked, “Darul Uloom Haqqania has always played a pivotal role in negotiations with the Afghan Taliban. Even today, it serves as a bridge over troubled waters, paving the way for dialogue with Afghanistan.”
Hamidul Haq was the central leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) and the deputy administrator of Darul Uloom Haqqania.
Déjà vu: A tragedy that echoes the past
On February 28, 2025, after offering Friday prayers at the Darul Uloom Haqqania mosque in Akora Khattak in Nowshera—40-kilometre east of Peshawar—Haq was leaving the mosque when a suicide bomber approached and detonated explosives nearby.
The attack claimed his life along with seven others, while 19 people were injured.
Darul Uloom Haqqania has always played a pivotal role in negotiations with the Afghan Taliban. Even today, it serves as a bridge over troubled waters, paving the way for dialogue with Afghanistan.” – Hamidul Haq.
The tragic incident was history repeating itself, mirroring the event from November 2, 2018, when his father, Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, was brutally assassinated in Bahria Town, Rawalpindi. Unidentified assailants stabbed him to death.
Maulana Sami-ul-Haq had served as the long-time administrator of Darul Uloom Haqqania and was widely known for his influence on Afghan affairs.
From humble roots to global prominence
Darul Uloom Haqqania rose to international prominence in the 1990s when the Afghan Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. According to the seminary’s official website, it currently enrolls 4,200 students and employs 300 teachers along with 200 support staff.
Founded in 1947 by Maulana Abdul Haq—the grandfather of Maulana Hamidul Haq—Darul Uloom Haqqania traces its roots to Darul Uloom Deoband, a renowned Islamic seminary established on May 31, 1866, in Deoband, a town in Saharnpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Maulana Abdul Haq graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband in 1934.
At his father’s insistence, Maulana Abdul Haq laid the foundation of a madrassa in his hometown, Akora Khattak, on September 23, 1947.
Since the seminary’s medium of instruction was Pashto, it quickly gained immense popularity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, attracting thousands of students.
Ziaur Rahman, a Karachi-based journalist and political analyst, put it this way: “With its Pashto-language curriculum, the seminary became highly influential, drawing a significant number of students from the Pashtun regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.”
Our relationship with the Taliban is like that of a spiritual teacher and his students. They respect everything related to this seminary, just as students from Oxford or Harvard respect their alma mater. In fact, they hold us in even greater esteem.” – Maulana Samiul Haq.
Maulana Abdul Haq was politically affiliated with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and won elections in 1970, 1977, and 1985, further expanding the seminary’s political influence.
However, its true significance emerged during the Soviet-Afghan War (1979). Given its proximity to the Pak-Afghan border, the seminary became a force to be reckoned with in ideological and strategic influence.
From classroom to battlefield
Thousands of Pakistani and Afghan students of this madrassa joined the Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union.
However, Darul Uloom Haqqania gained global prominence in 1995, when the Afghan Taliban seized control of Kabul.
Reports suggest that many senior Taliban leaders, including Mullah Omar, Jalaluddin Haqqani, and others, were among its graduates.
Even after the collapse of the Taliban regime, the governments of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani remained wary of the seminary.
In 2019, during intense resistance against Ashraf Ghani’s government, his spokesperson Sediq Sediqi formally lodged a complaint with Pakistan, alleging that Darul Uloom Haqqania was fostering radical jihadism and actively contributing to Taliban recruitment.
Western media often labelled Darul Uloom Haqqania as the ‘University of Jihadists’, alleging that it played a crucial role in shaping Taliban fighters.
However, Hamid-ul-Haq would reject these claims, asserting, “We’ve never provided any training for jihad. There is no training centre here. Jihad is part of our faith, and it is naturally included in our curriculum.”
A similar question was posed to Maulana Samiul Haq during a 2017 interview. Laughing, he responded, “Our relationship with the Taliban is like that of a spiritual teacher and his students. They respect everything related to this seminary, just as students from Oxford or Harvard respect their alma mater. In fact, they hold us in even greater esteem.”
Our students have always had a spiritual connection with the Haqqani Network. Many aspired to join the resistance, and countless sacrificed their lives for it. Over the years, our faculty and students maintained direct contact with the fighters in Afghanistan.” – Senior teacher at Darul Uloom Haqqania.
Because of this deep-rooted connection, Western media dubbed Maulana Samiul Haq the ‘father of the Taliban.’
When asked about this, he remarked, “I have taught thousands of students at Darul Uloom Haqqania. If the world considers all seminary students ‘Taliban,’ then as a spiritual mentor, I have no objections to being called their father.”
In the shadow of war (on terror)
After the US invasion of Afghanistan following 9/11, Afghan Taliban factions launched an armed resistance against Hamid Karzai’s government and American forces.
Two key factions emerged in this struggle: The Kandahari Taliban, who operated primarily in southern Afghanistan; and the Haqqani Network, which carried out attacks in central and northern regions.
The Haqqani Network, first led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and later by his son Sirajuddin Haqqani, played a major role in the insurgency. Both Jalaluddin and Sirajuddin were alumni of Darul Uloom Haqqania.
During Ashraf Ghani’s tenure as president, the US and Afghan intelligence agencies regarded the Haqqani Network as their most formidable threat.
A senior Darul Uloom Haqqania teacher, speaking anonymously to WE News English, reveals, “Our students have always had a spiritual connection with the Haqqani Network.
Many aspired to join the resistance, and countless sacrificed their lives for it. Over the years, our faculty and students maintained direct contact with the fighters in Afghanistan.”
The ‘Haqqani’ identity
Graduates of Darul Uloom Haqqania—whether they engaged in jihad or pursued other careers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—proudly add “Haqqani” to their names.
Maulana Samiul Haq once explained, “When my father founded this seminary, people would appreciate him, saying that You are on the path of Haq [truth]. That’s how the seminary got its name, and our students began using ‘Haqqani’ as a mark of pride and identity.”
Darul Uloom Haqqania has always been a bridge between Pakistan and Afghanistan, facilitating dialogue and fostering understanding between the two sides.” – Barrister Saif.
In addition to multiple provincial governors and deputy governors, several key figures in the Afghan Taliban government are Haqqania graduates.
Prominent among them are Sirajuddin Haqqani (interior minister), Amir Khan Muttaqi (foreign minister) and Abdul Baqi Haqqani (minister of higher education).
Influence on TTP
A senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police official believes that beyond the Afghan Taliban, the seminary also wielded significant influence over the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
During the 2014 peace talks between the Pakistani government and TTP, Maulana Samiul Haq acted as a mediator on behalf of the TTP.
Although the negotiations ultimately failed, TTP operatives continued to hold deep respect for Darul Uloom Haqqania, with many senior TTP commanders counted among its alumni.”
The seminary maintained close ties with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and received grants of Rs. 700 million in both 2016 and 2017.
Influence beyond borders
Religious diplomacy expert Muhammad Israr Madani once shared an anecdote on Facebook about Hamidul Haq’s visit to Afghanistan.
According to him, during a meeting, Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Kabir Haqqani remained standing even after Hamidul Haq had taken his seat. When asked why, he responded, “I will only sit if Hamidul Haq asks me to do so.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif confirms that Hamidul Haq was set to lead an upcoming delegation for negotiations with Afghanistan.
His assassination, however, has thrown a spanner into diplomatic efforts between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban.
