• Case registered at Mardan police station
• Funeral of slain cleric held at seminary under strict security
• Brother takes charge of Darul Uloom Haqqania

PESHAWAR: A day after a suicide bombing claimed several lives, including that of Darul Uloom Haqqania Vice Chancellor Maulana Ham­idul Haq Haqqani, the Counter-Terrorism Depart­ment of the Khyber Pakhtun­khwa police registered a case and announced a monetary reward for information on the bomber’s identity.

Six people, including JUI-S leader Maulana Haq­qani, lost their lives and 18 others suffered injuries when a suicide blast ripped through the seminary in Nowshera as Mr Haqqani was leaving for his residence through a designated gate. His father was also killed by unidentified persons at his residence in Rawalpindi in November 2018.

The case lodged by his son Abdul Haq Sani (named after his great grandfather) at the CTD Mardan police station invoked Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, Section 3/4 of the Explosives Substance Act, and sections 302, 324 and 427 of the Pak­istan Penal Code. The FIR said the cleric was going home when an unknown suicide bomber blew himself up near the gate.

Besides registration of the case, the CTD announced a monetary reward of Rs0.5 million for information about the suicide bomber.

Funeral prayers

The funeral prayers for the slain cleric were offered at 11am at the seminary and atten­d­ed by thousands of people, including a large number of rel­igious scholars and students.

The sprawling premises of the seminary were jampac­ked, forcing many to pray on Grand Trunk Road, outside the seminary, which was clo­sed to traffic during the fun­eral. Strict security arrangements were made as hundr­eds of police personnel were depl­o­yed to secure the place. Sca­n­ners were installed while mob­ile phone jammers were also activated during the funeral.

On this occasion, Maulana Irfanul Haq Haqqani anno­unced that following consensus, Maulana Rashidul Haq Haqqani, the slain cleric’s brother, would take charge of the office as the deputy head of Darul Uloom Haqqania.

“We will not divert from the right path and these attacks, explosions and threats can never put up a hurdle in the way of our mission,” said Mr Rashidul Haq.

He said the mission of his father, Maulana Samiul Haq, would continue. “I want to give a message to the entire world that we will never compromise on the faith and Islam,” he told the gathering which endorsed him as his father’s successor.

Earlier, KP police chief Zulfiqar Hameed visited Nowshera and examined security arrangements for the funeral prayers. The officer held a meeting with senior police officials in which he was briefed about the ongoing investigation into the suicide attack.

“The case is being investigated and initially, efforts are underway to identify the suicide bomber. The CTD is also examining quantity and the kind of explosives used for carrying out the attack,” a senior police official told Dawn. He said that since the CTD would also examine CCTV footage from cameras.

Meanwhile, KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif visited Darul Uloom Haqqania. In a statement issued by his office, he said it was not just an assault on an individual or a seminary but “an attack on Islam”. He said such acts of militancy were aimed at creating fear, sowing division, and weakening Muslims.

“Our enemies want to instill fear and break our unity. We must stand firm against terrorism and demonstrate that their cowardly acts cannot shake our belief or brotherhood.”

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2025