...
the Godfather of the Taliban,leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as
Mullah Sandwichfor his habit of having two young boys at a time...
has been assassinated at his residence in Rawalpindi, his son has confirmed.
Maulana Hamidul Haq said his octogenarian father was stabbed to death while he was resting in his room.
"His driver Haqqani had gone out. On his return, he saw that Maulana Sami was lying in his bed in a pool of blood," Hamid said while talking to Geo News.
The news of his death comes at a sensitive time, with religio-political parties out on the streets protesting the Supreme Court's acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, in a blasphemy case.
Maulana Sami, the chief of his own faction of the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam
...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability...
, was unable to take part in the protest that was underway against Bibi's acquittal due to road blockades and had returned home, his son said.
"He was stabbed multiple times," Maulana Hamid said. Maulana Sami's driver/gunman had left the house, located in Bahria Town, for approximately 15 minutes when he was stabbed.
Yousaf Shah, the maulana's front man, said the attacker's identity and their motive were not immediately known.
Police have started an investigation into the killing.
The dear departed's body was taken to his hometown Akora Khattak where he will be laid to rest tomorrow afternoon. No post-mortem was conducted, DawnNewsTV reported.
Maulana Sami, said to be around 82 years old, was the head of the Darul Uloom Haqqania
...an Islamic seminary located in Akora Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The seminary propagates the Deobandi trend of Sunni Islam and is headed by Maulana Samiul Haq, known as
the Godfather of the Taliban. It has been dubbed The University of Jihad due to the methods and content of instruction along with the future occupations of its alumni....
seminary in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Akora Khattak.
He was a member of the Senate of Pakistain from 1985 to 1991 and again from 1991 to 1997.
He had been aligned with the ruling Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is
Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
for the July 25, 2018 election.
Prime Minister Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight...
's party had sought to work closely with him to implement various reforms and mainstream madrassah education.
Maulana Sami was an influential figure among members of the Taliban
...Arabic for
students...
on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistain border.
Last month, a high-level delegation from Afghanistan had called on Sami, known as the "Father of the Taliban", at Darul Uloom Haqqania and urged him to play a role in resolving the Afghan issue.
The delegation had appealed to the JUI-S chief to play the role of a mediator between different groups of Taliban as they considered him [Maulana Sami] their elder. The delegation members assured him that they would accept his decision for reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Maulana Sami had told them that the Afghan issue was very complicated and its resolution was not an easy task for him. However,
some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves...
he had said he wished to see a logical end to the Afghan issue and an end to bloodshed in the country.