Maulana Hamid, a closer look at his legacy

A suicide bomber struck Jamia Darul Uloom Haqqania madrassa in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, killing the seminary's vice chancellor Maulana Hamidul Haq and six others.

The explosion occurred during congregational prayers at the prominent Islamic seminary in Nowshera district. Maulana Hamid was leading the prayers at the time of the attack.

Maulana Hamid, a political leader and religious scholar, was the son of prominent Pakistani cleric Samiul Haq Haqqani. The elder Haqqani was widely known as the "father of Taliban” for his role in shaping the militant movement’s ideology and training future leaders. After his assassination in 2018, Hamid assumed the position of vice chancellor of the seminary.

Darul Uloom Haqqania is one of the country’s oldest seminaries. It is home to approximately 4,000 students. According to its website, several prominent Taliban leaders, including the leader of the Haqqani network, Sirajuddin Haqqani, were among those who graduated from it.

Carrying forward the legacy

Maulana Hamid was Maulana Samiul Haq's second son from his first wife. He received his religious as well as school education from his grandfather, Maulana Abdul Haq, at the Haqqania High School located within the premises of the madrassah.

Pakistani cleric Maulana Sami-ul Haq, father of Hamidul Haq. — ReutersReuters

He completed his Bachelor’s in Islamic Studies from Nowshera Degree College and obtained a Master’s degree from Punjab University in Theology in the late 80s. Hamid started his political career in 1985 by joining Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Sami)’s student wing Islami Jamiat Taleba as secretary general.

He served as a member of the National Assembly from November 2002 to 2007 and was appointed Chairman of the party after his father’s assassination in 2018.

Hamid also served as the chairman of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council, a coalition of jihadi groups, such as the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat. The DPC was established in 2011 in reaction to the killings of Pakistani soldiers by United States forces at the Pak-Afghan border. It, however, remained inactive after Maulana Samiul Haq, was murdered in 2018. The council, under the leadership of Maulana Hamid, resurfaced in 2023 to warn of conspiracies allegedly being hatched by politicians to hurt national interests.

Last year, Maulana Hamid led a delegation of Pakistani religious scholars to Afghanistan as part of the state’s religious diplomacy, where he met Taliban leaders. Speaking about the visit, Hamid told the media that it would help remove mistrust between Islamabad and Kabul.

In an interview with The Independent in 2021, Hamid said that Darul Uloom Haqqania had hosted several US and Afghan ambassadors and played a mediating role between Pakistan and the Taliban.

“We have mediated between Pakistan and the Taliban to bring reconciliation and peace in the region,” he said.

During the same interview, he also dismissed criticism against the madrassah, saying that by labelling the madrassah as a terrorist organization campus, they want to scare people off us, and Islam.

In another interview with the Daily Times in 2021, he stressed that Pakistan needs to step up efforts to stabilize the situation.

“We need intelligence-based policies, strong anti-terrorism legal framework, and address the grievances of unprivileged people,” he added.

Maulana Hamid was also a staunch supporter of the Taliban regime and was vocal in advocating for enhanced ties between Taliban and Pakistan. He was also among the few who called on the world and Pakistan to immediately recognize the Taliban government and establish diplomatic relations with Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in 2021.

No group has claimed responsibility for targeting Maulana Hamid. However, some speculate that the cleric, a longtime Taliban ally, may have been targeted by anti-Taliban factions within Afghanistan. These elements are believed to be trying to disrupt peace talks between the two countries.