[Al Ahram] A key Pak holy man with close ties to the Afghan Taliban...Arabic for
students...
who was killed in the garrison city of Rawalpindi was buried Saturday as Prime Minister Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems...
called for an investigation into the murder.
Maulana Sami Ul-Haq, dubbed the "Father of the Taliban", was stabbed to death by unknown intruders at his residence Friday night.
The holy man, who is in his 80s was buried in his hometown Akoda Khattak, around 115 kilometres (70 miles) northwest of Islamabad.
Thousands of people gathered for the funeral prayers guarded by dozens of police personnel while a bomb disposal squad cleared the graveyard before the holy man's body was brought for burial, an AFP news hound at the site said.
His seminary had produced some of the key leaders of the Afghan and Pak Taliban, something that the holy man and his associates would proudly tell visiting journalists.
The list of graduates written on the walls of the seminary includes the names of leaders of the Pak Taliban.
An investigation into the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto
... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in...
in 2007 revealed that the assassins had stayed at his seminary before travelling to Rawalpindi where Bhutto was killed.
The Afghan Taliban issued a statement terming his death "a great loss for the entire Islamic Ummah" (nation).
"He rendered unforgettable services and assistance to the oppressed Afghan nation against the Soviet and American invasions," the statement said.
Afghan envoys in Pakistain had reached out to him seeking his help in starting negotiations with the Afghan Taliban.
But analysts doubted if he had any sway with them.
"He did not had any influence on the Afghan Taliban but he supported their cause," analyst Rahimullah Yusufzai told AFP.
"Many of the leaders and fighters of the Afghan Taliban had studied at his madrassa," he said.
Pak media termed his death a blow to the Afghan grinding of the peace processor but Yusufzai doubted it, saying his death would have no impact on the talks as he was never part of any negotiations.
Social media users in Afghanistan termed him a "troublemaker".
"The Taliban have lost their father, now they are orphan," Bilal Noori, an Afghan, posted on Facebook.
His death was widely condemned in Pakistain by politicians and religious leaders, with the prime minister calling for an investigation into the murder.
In 2014, the holy man was a member of the negotiating committee from the homegrown Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) -- who brokered a ceasefire with the government, although the talks later failed.
He twice held roles as a member of Pakistain's Senate.
His JUI-S party was an ally of 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....
(PTI) party headed by Prime Minister Khan.