Pakistan’s ‘father of Taliban’ cleric killed in knife attack
The religious scholar was the founder of the famous Haqqania seminary, where dozens of Afghan leaders have been educated.
Prominent cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, known as the “father of the Taliban”, has been killed in a knife attack at his home in Rawalpindi, according to police and his family.
Haq’s son Hamidul Haq said his father was killed on Friday.
Yousaf Shah, Haq’s spokesman, said the attacker’s identity and motive were not immediately known.
Haq was the head of his faction of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam party.
The religious scholar was the founder of the famous Haqqania seminary, where dozens of Afghan leaders were educated.
His seminary is in the town of Akora Khattak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.
Police said they have transported Haq’s body to hospital and officers are investigating.
