Latest news with #Deoband
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Notorious nine: Why India hit them
NEW DELHI: Of the nine targets struck by India early Wednesday, 's base in Muridke and Jaish-e-Muhammed's Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur were the most important. Unabashed protection of Pakistan's army and ISI was the reason Muridke and Bahawalpur thrived as terror sanctuaries with seeming impunity for decades. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Located in Pakistan's Punjab province, the very base of the country's military-intelligence complex, the two seminaries, inspired by hardline versions of Ahl-e-Hadith and Deoband schools of thought, seemed impregnable. Until Tuesday when the Indian Army and IAF hit them with precision strikes. The Markaz, sprawling over 15 acres, has been JeM's primary hub for training and indoctrination of jihadis. It was where Maulana Masood Azhar, after sliding under the radar for nearly two years following international pressure on ISI, resurfaced on Nov 30, 2024. In his speech to JeM members, he reiterated his unrelenting hostility towards India, vowing revenge for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya at the site of Babri Masjid. A dozen terror strikes, including Pulwama, plotted at Bahawalpur His comeback event was attended by key figures, including younger brother Maulana Talha Saif and son Mohammad Abdullah Bin Masood. India had dealt the first major blow to a terror seminary in 2019, when it attacked Jaish camps in Balakot - regarded as the "first launchpad for jihad" by Syed Ahmed Barelvi - to avenge the killing of 40 CRPF troopers in Pulwama. The fear generated by India's air strikes then appeared to have worn thin, encouraging Jaish to resume its terror campaign. LeT, though chastened for a while after a mysterious terror attack near the residence of its founder , had also stepped up its attacks. Located on NH-5 (Karachi-Torkham Highway) in Bahawalpur (Punjab province), the Markaz served as the operational headquarters of JeM. Over a dozen significant terror strikes, including the 2019 Pulwama attack, were planned here. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The perpetrators of the had even trained at this facility which has been home to over 600 cadres and hosted regular training sessions for JeM members. The intelligence dossier shared with various foreign govts said the Markaz was constructed with the support of Pakistan's provincial and federal govts, supplemented by funds raised by JeM. The complex boasts modern facilities, including a gymnasium and swimming pool for underwater training to terrorists besides a stable. Muridke's Markaz Taiba, LeT's main training hub, was no less important as a strategic objective. Located in Nangal Sahdan, the 82-acre complex houses a madrassa, a market, residential quarters for operatives, sports facilities, a fish farm and fields, making it a self-sustaining terror training facility. Al Qaida chief Osama bin Laden had contributed Pakistani Rs 10 million for construction of a mosque and a guest house within the Markaz Taiba complex. The complex served as a multipurpose facility for LeT, offering training in arms and physical combat, as well as 'dawah' and indoctrination programmes for terrorists from Pakistan and abroad. The perpetrators of the 26/11 attack, including Ajmal Kasab, were imparted 'Daura-e-Ribat' (training in collecting intelligence) at this facility which was even visited by David Coleman Headley. Annually, around 1,000 students enrol in various courses. The facility also hosted periodic training sessions for LeT's top leadership. Another big name on India's target list was JeM's Syedna Bilal Markaz in Muzaffarabad in POK. This facility was used as a transit camp for JeM terrorists before they were launched into J&K. At any point of time, 50-100 cadres resided in this facility. Specialised training was provided by Pakistan's Special Service Group, an elite wing to which former dictator Pervez Musharraf belonged. JeM's operational commander and head of PKK Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri is in-charge of the facility that also operates as the base for digging of cross-border tunnels for infiltration of terrorists. Among other targets hit by India, Sarjal and Tehra Kalan served as JeM's primary launchpad in Pakistan's Punjab, operating from inside a primary health centre and facilitating cross-border tunnel digging and drone operations for arms and narcotics smuggling. Mehmoona Joya, a Hizbul Mujahideen facility in Sialkot, was also concealed inside a health unit. It provided weapons training, besides coordinating terrorist infiltration into Jammu under Irfan Tanda. Additionally, an LeT camp in Barnala (PoK), Markaz Ahle Hadith, with a capacity for 100-150 cadres, was reduced to ashes. JeM's Markaz Abbas in Kotli, headed by NIA-wanted Qari Zarar, planned terror strikes and coordinated infiltration into Poonch and Rajouri sectors. Hizbul Mujahideen's Markaz Raheel Shahid in Kotli trained terrorists in Border Action Team operations and sniping attacks.
BBC News
28-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Pakistan: Six killed in blast at mosque dubbed 'University of Jihad'
At least six people have been killed in a suicide attack at an Islamic seminary in northern Pakistan that has been described as the "University of Jihad".The blast happened at the mosque within the Darul Uloom Haqqania, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 55km (34 miles) from the northern city of Hamid ul-Haq, a prominent cleric and the influential head of the school, is among the dead. Police said more than 10 other people had been seminary has long been associated with the Taliban since several of its members, including the group's founder Mullah Omar, trained there. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came ahead of the start of the holy month of explosion occurred after Friday prayers, according to local son, Khuzaima Sami, told the BBC that hundreds were present in the main hall at the time of the blast and that he feared there would be many investigation has been launched into the attack."Initial reports suggest the blast occurred after Friday prayers as people were gathering to greet Hamid ul-Haq," Abdul Rasheed, the district police chief, told the AFP news seminary - where clerics are taught - also known as a madrassa, is considered one of the region's most renowned religious educational institutions and is an important academic centre of the Deoband school of has been referred to as the "University of Jihad" due to its notable alumni, including Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the militant Haqqani Network, and his son Sirajuddin men played key roles in leading the Taliban's insurgency, first against Soviet forces and later against US and Nato forces, in 57, was the son of the influential Pakistani cleric Maulana Sami ul-Haq, widely known as the "Father of the Taliban".He became the seminary's vice-chancellor after his father's assassination in 2018, and the head of a faction of the religious Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) political also served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2002 to father had longstanding ties with the Afghan Taliban's leadership, including Mullah was considered an influential figure in facilitating negotiations between the Taliban and the Pakistani their strong connections with the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban, neither Haq nor his father were directly involved in any anti-state they were often seen as intermediaries between Pakistan and the President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack, as did the Pakistani group described Haq as a "preacher of truth, a compassionate teacher, and a fearless advocate for the stability of madrassas".
Al Jazeera
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Blast at Taliban-linked Pakistani seminary kills six people, injures 20
Islamabad, Pakistan – A suicide bombing at a mosque in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least six people, including a prominent religious scholar, and injured at least 20, according to authorities. The mosque is located inside the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Akora Khattak, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police said the attack occurred just after Friday prayers had concluded and appeared to target Hamid-ul-Haq, the leader of the religious political party Jamiat Ulema Islam-Sami (JUIS), who was killed. Speaking to the media, the provincial police chief, Zulfiqar Hameed, confirmed the attacker was a suicide bomber. He added that at least three policemen were injured in the attack. Government officials issued statements condemning the attack and expressing condolences to the families of those killed. 'Such cowardly and heinous acts of terrorism cannot dampen our resolve against terrorism,' Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said. No group had claimed responsibility, but analysts suspected that the ISIL (ISIS) affiliate in Khorasan Province (ISKP) could be behind the bombing. 'Given the symbolism of this seminary and its history, it is highly likely that the attack was carried out by ISKP. The group has ideological differences with the Afghan Taliban and their supporters, who follow the Deoband school of thought,' said Ihsanullah Tipu, an Islamabad-based security analyst. Darul Uloom Haqqania, a Deoband seminary, was founded in 1947 and was once led by Sami-ul-Haq, Hamid-ul-Haq's father, who was often referred to as the 'Father of the Taliban'. Sami-ul-Haq was killed in a knife attack in Rawalpindi in 2018. Hamid-ul-Haq, in his late 50s, was a former member of the National Assembly and became the president of JUIS after the death of his father. He had previously served as the seminary's vice chancellor and last year led a delegation of religious scholars for 'religious diplomacy' to Afghanistan, where he met senior Afghan Taliban leader Abdul Kabir. He had also called for Pakistan to recognise the Afghan Taliban government after the group retook control of the country in August 2021. More than 4,000 students are enrolled at the seminary, which also has many prominent Afghan Taliban leaders as alumni, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan's interim interior minister, and Amir Khan Muttaqi, the interim foreign minister. The Afghan Taliban adheres to Sunni Islam and follows the Deoband school of thought. It faces opposition from ISKP, which belongs to the Salafist school of thought. The latter is often described as ultraconservative, adhering strictly to Islamic law. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed multiple attacks on mosques in recent years. In a January 2023 attack in Peshawar, a suicide bomber targeted a mosque inside a police complex, killing more than 100 people, most of whom were police officers. While no group officially claimed responsibility for the Peshawar mosque attack, ISKP has carried out several attacks in Pakistan, indiscriminately targeting civilians and security forces. In one of its larger attacks, a political rally organised by Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUIF), a rival faction of JUIS but also an adherent of the Deobandi school of thought, was attacked in July 2023 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bajaur district. The bombing killed nearly 60 people. The last few years have seen increasing attacks in the country with most of them claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is ideologically aligned with the Afghan Taliban. Last year saw more than 1,500 deaths in the country due to these attacks. Tipu, co-founder of The Khorasan Diary, a security research portal, emphasised the significance of the attack on the seminary and the killing of Hamid-ul-Haq. 'This seminary has deep historical ties with the Afghan Taliban. Many of its students fought against US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and the current Afghan rulers are actively cracking down on ISKP in their country,' he said. According to Tipu, the conflict between the Afghan Taliban and ISKP is being fought both on the battlefield and in the ideological sphere. The Taliban has labelled ISKP as 'Takfiris', meaning those excommunicated from Islam.
