University of Jihad: generous support by K-P government

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government is all set to release another Rs275 million for Darul Uloom Haqannia in Akora Khattak for construction work in the seminary.  According to Officials privy to these developments, a summary for the release of an “extra grant” has been sent to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for approval by K-P Auqaf department.

This is not the first time that the madressah would be on the receiving end of a gracious grant from Pakistan Tekhreek-i-Insaf (PTI) led KP government as Rs300m were allocated for it in the budget for financial year 2016-17.

After the latest release of funds, the official aid to the seminary will increase from Rs300 million to Rs577 million. The present move to allocate funds to the JUI-S chief’s seminary is an attempt to woo the JUI-S in the Senate polls, reported the outlet. It may be mentioned here that the JUI-S is an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) KP government.

Defending the move, PTI chief Imran Khan had said that the funds and support would help the seminary students assimilate in our society, bring them in to the mainstream and keep them away from radicalisation.

Amid criticism of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s funding to Maulana Samiul Haq’s Darul Uloom Haqqania, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has claimed that no cash transaction was involved and the seminary was being assisted only in building infrastructure.

The terror factory

The seminary, located in Nowshera district and currently run by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami chief Maulana Samiul Haq, has faced controversy in the past as its students have been accused of involvement in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. It is pertinent to mention here that Darul Uloom Haqannia Akora Khattak belongs to Maulana Samiul Haq of JUI-S, and PTI has fielded him in the upcoming Senate elections. It is believed that Taliban leaders, including former Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, attended Darul Uloom Haqqnia, run by Maulana Samiul Haq.

During an interview with Reuters, Haq called Omar "one of his best students."Haq is also known as the "Father of the Taliban." In a 2013 interview with Reuters, he supported the Afghan Taliban. "Give them just one year, and they will make the whole of Afghanistan happy," he said.

What opposition says?

Bilawal Bhutto said on these developments that the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is giving extortion money to Darul Uloom Haqqania. He said, “This is the money collected from tax payers in KP which should be spent on their prosperity.” This money should not be given to such madrassas where assassins of Benazir Bhutto took refuge.”

This is notable that during the hearing, Darul Uloom Haqqania’s director education Wisal Ahmed also admitted that the suspected suicide bomber Abdullah alias Saddam Nadir alias Qari Ismail and arrested suspects Rasheed alias Turabi and Faiz Muhammad had received education from the seminary.

Chief among them is the now deceased Mullah Omar, the long-elusive leader of the Taliban. Omar’s successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, and members of the Haqqani Network, including Jalaluddin Haqqani, have also been among the alumni of the seminary. Baitullah Mehsud had also been a student of a madrissa. Hakimullah Mehsud had been to the same madrissa Baitullah Mehsud had gone to in Hangu. Hakimullah Mehsud had joined the Taliban during his association with the madrissa.

Hafiz Gul Bahadur studied at a madrissa in Multan, went to Afghanistan to take part in the war there in the 1980s and later became a member of the JUI. Waliur Rehman Mehsud studied at the Jamia Islamia Imdadia in Faisalabad and then went to Waziristan.

Mullah Fazlullah studied at the madrissa of Maulvi Sufi Mohammad, established madrissa in Swat with the help of the Taliban and began a reign of terror there. Khalid Haqqani belonged to Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak. He was a close associate of Hakimullah Mehsud.

The support and assistance that Pakistan has started providing to Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organizations since the late 1970s is still alive. But conditions had completely changed from the return of the Soviet Union to Afghanistan and the dissolution of the Soviet Union later. But Pakistan has reached this place moving forward from the mujahideen war, where it has not only become a threat to regional and world peace.  At the same time, promoting terrorism is going to prove suicidal for itself. But still he is not ready to give up his destructive policies.