Draft:Samiul Haq
| Samiul Haq | |
|---|---|
| File:Maulana Samiul Haq.jpg | |
| Name | Samiul Haq |
| Other Names | {{{other_names}}} |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | City of "Akora Khattak" |
| Brith Date | {{{birth_date}}} |
| Death Place | City of "Rawalpindi" |
| Death Date | 11 Aban |
| Religion | Islam |
Samiul Haq, known as the "Spiritual Father of the Taliban" and manager of the religious school "Darul Uloom Haqqania" in "Akora Khattak" county, "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa" province, was stabbed to death by unknown individuals in the city of "Rawalpindi", Pakistan, on 11 Aban 1397 SH. His political background includes membership in the Senate of Pakistan and leadership of various religious-political groups, including the "Council for Defense of Pakistan" and "Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Samiul Haq faction". His views and perspectives include Unity of the Islamic World, establishing peace and tranquility in Afghanistan, declaring disassociation from Pakistani Taliban terrorists, and direct negotiation with the Taliban without the presence of the Americans and Pakistani officials.
Biography
Samiul Haq was born in 1937 AD, in the city of "Akora Khattak" located in northwest Pakistan, which today is considered one of the regions of "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa" province.
Education
Samiul Haq was among the graduates of the religious school "Darul Uloom Haqqania". This school was founded by his father, Maulana Abdul Haq. He studied Islamic sciences such as Tafsir, Hadith, and Logic there, was fluent in Arabic, Urdu, and Pashto, and also knew Dari Persian well.
Manager of Darul Uloom Haqqania Religious School
After his father, Maulana Abdul Haq, he undertook the management of the religious school "Darul Uloom Haqqania" in "Akora Khattak", and most of his activities were concentrated in this city.
Spiritual Father of the Taliban
Maulana Samiul Haq is perhaps called the spiritual father of the Taliban from this perspective that he had a close relationship with Mullah Omar, the then leader of the Taliban, and after Mullah Omar's death, he played a significant role in intra-Taliban consultations for selecting his successor and resolving disputes within the Taliban group. Another reason is perhaps that many of the famous members of the Afghan Taliban are those who studied at the Darul Uloom Haqqania religious school under the management of Samiul Haq, and in such schools, the relationship between "student" and teacher is a father-child-like relationship. In addition, Samiul Haq always demanded the return of the Taliban to the sphere of power in Afghanistan, and some consider this topic another reason for his fame as the Father of the Taliban.
Political Activities
Samiul Haq was a member of the Senate of Pakistan from 1985 AD to 1997 AD. He undertook the leadership of various religious-political groups including the "Council for Defense of Pakistan" and "Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Samiul Haq faction", in contrast to the other faction of the religious-political group Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan under the leadership of an extremist figure named Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who was among the elements supported by Saudi Arabia, and perhaps for this reason it can be said that Samiul Haq's path was separate from the Saudi line and extremism. This influential yet calm figure of Pakistan had an undeniable influence and impact on the Afghan Taliban, and for this reason, Afghan ambassadors in Pakistan in various periods were always in contact with Samiul Haq, and his office in the city of "Akora Khattak" hosted Afghan ambassadors or political, military, or security delegations of Afghanistan time and again, so that with his help and using the high influence and acceptance he had among the Taliban, a way would be created to end the deadlock of peace negotiations between the Kabul government and the Taliban, but Samiul Haq agreed with the Taliban that the prerequisite for conducting genuine peace negotiations is the withdrawal of Americans from Afghanistan soil.
Reconciliatory Perspective
Although he was known as the "spiritual father of the Taliban" and was thus perceived as one of the extremist and radical religious figures, he was a moderate personality who always advocated for unity among all Islamic communities and the resolution of issues and differences in the Islamic world.
Participation in the International Conference of Scholars and Islamic Awakening
Sami-ul-Haq traveled to Tehran in April 2013 (Ordibehesht 1392 SH) to participate in the International Conference of "Scholars and Islamic Awakening", and his positive response to the invitation to participate in such a session indicates the mindset and perspective of this religious figure regarding issues of the Islamic world and the necessity of unity among Islamic communities.
Interview with IRNA News Agency
In his only interview with IRNA news agency, as an Iranian news agency, on October 12, 2015 (20 Mehr 1394 SH), he expressed his heartfelt views regarding the importance of unity in the Islamic world and some issues facing the Muslim Ummah, calling for unity among all countries, communities, and Islamic denominations and the resolution of issues and calamities facing the Muslim Ummah.
In this short and brief interview, he told the IRNA reporter: "We seek the removal of resentments between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and we consider it beneficial for strengthening unity among the Muslim Ummah."
Sami-ul-Haq also praised the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards unity and empathy of the Muslim Ummah to repel anti-Islamic conspiracies of enemies. In this interview, which took place shortly after the announcement of the death of Mullah Omar, the then leader of the Afghan Taliban, and the selection of Mullah Akhtar Mansour as his successor and the new leader of the Taliban, Sami-ul-Haq, as a figure acceptable to the Afghan Taliban, said that Mullah Akhtar Mansour had been able to control the situation of this group after Mullah Omar's death. However, after a few months, the Americans did not allow Mullah Akhtar Mansour to continue his activities and killed him in a planned military attack, so that Afghanistan would be kept further away from peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul government. Sami-ul-Haq, in this interview, officially confirmed the presence of ISIS members in Afghanistan at that time and said, "Clashes have occurred between ISIS and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and we are aware of it."
Interest in Creating Peace and Calm in Afghanistan
Sami-ul-Haq had a great interest in creating peace and calm in Afghanistan and believed that peace in Afghanistan would not be possible without the withdrawal of American occupiers, the participation of the Taliban, and their role in the political power of this country, because as long as Americans are present in Afghanistan, the Taliban will not lay down their arms.
Declaration of Disassociation from Pakistani Taliban Terrorists
Sami-ul-Haq had separated his path from the Pakistani Taliban terrorists known as the "Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan" (TTP) and, as a religious-political and moderate figure, also enjoyed high acceptability and influence among various groups in Pakistan. One of the examples of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq's separation from the "Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan" terrorists was a fatwa that this religious figure issued in 2013 in support of the polio vaccine, a disease that has not yet been eradicated in Pakistan. When the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan tried to dissuade uninformed people in deprived areas of northwest Pakistan and other deprived areas of the country from vaccinating their children against polio through encouragement and threats, and by raising the suspicion that this vaccine would cause sterilization, turn them against the government of Pakistan, Sami-ul-Haq, by issuing a fatwa, declared that the opinions of doctors regarding vaccines and medicines beneficial for humans must be respected[1].
Direct Negotiations with the Taliban without the Presence of the US and Pakistani Officials
Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, in a meeting with the delegation of scholars of Afghanistan and Omar Zakhilwal, the country's ambassador to Pakistan, had called for direct negotiations with the Taliban without the presence of the US and even Pakistani officials. He announced that he was ready to provide the groundwork for negotiations with the Taliban, which should take place in a secret location in a third country.
Death
Sami-ul-Haq can be considered one of the most complex and enigmatic political and religious figures of Pakistan; a figure whom many experts believe held a chest full of secrets, and his mysterious assassination at the age of 85 forever eliminated the opportunity for these hidden secrets to be revealed. On November 2, 2018 (11 Aban 1397 SH), Sami-ul-Haq was killed in the city of "Rawalpindi", Pakistan, by unknown individuals with knife strikes.
Reactions
Senior Pakistani Officials
Senior political and military officials of Pakistan, while condemning this act, expressed regret over the incident and demanded the identification and punishment of the perpetrators of his murder. Some Pakistani politicians and experts believe that the killing of Sami-ul-Haq will complicate the already tangled peace process in Afghanistan and may even intensify the conflict and war in Afghanistan.
Hamid-ul-Haq, Son of Sami-ul-Haq
Hamid-ul-Haq, son of Sami-ul-Haq, regarding the killing of his father, cited his participation in the Afghanistan peace negotiations as one of the reasons for his assassination. He stated: His father tried to remove Afghanistan from the domination of America and pave the way for Taliban negotiations with the Afghan government. He added: Some elements of the Afghan government and some Pakistani officials opposed Maulana Sami-ul-Haq's mediation in the peace negotiations, which might have led to plotting for his assassination, a matter I had informed the Pakistan security service known as the ISI about. Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq emphasized: I had informed the intelligence organization and security service of Pakistan about the danger to my father's life, but Maulana Sami-ul-Haq had little interest in having guards around him. He added: Security measures around the Jamia Uloom-ul-Haq school had increased, but Maulana Sami-ul-Haq only took one personal servant with him for the trip to Rawalpindi and there were no guards. Hamid-ul-Haq said: Those who oppose Islam and the teachings of religious schools are involved in the assassination of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq. He added: I ask the supporters and admirers of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq to maintain their calm in these conditions and not allow some agents to use their behavior to accuse Maulana Sami-ul-Haq.
Maulana Asrar Madani, Spokesperson for Maulana Sami-ul-Haq
"Maulana Asrar Madani", spokesperson for Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, regarding his killing said: Maulana Sami-ul-Haq was resting in his personal residence located in Bahria Town, Rawalpindi city, on Friday afternoon and had asked his servant to buy some milk from the market, during which time unknown individuals killed the Maulana with knife strikes. Maulana Madani emphasized: News regarding shooting at the location of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq's assassination is incorrect; he was killed in complete silence with knife strikes.
Pakistan Police
The Pakistan Police in its initial report announced that the murder of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq is not a terrorist incident and the perpetrators of this crime killed him due to personal enmity[2].
Taliban Group
The Taliban group reacted to the killing of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq by issuing a statement and considered it the work of enemies of Islam. This group clarified that the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan performed unforgettable services in supporting the people of Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and the occupation of America. The Taliban statement said that he always supported the voice of the oppression of the Afghan nation[3].
See also
Footnotes
References
- Who is "Sami-ul-Haq"?, IRNA website, Date of publication: 17 Aban 1397 SH, Date of access: 12 Esfand 1403 SH.
- Reasons for the assassination of the spiritual father of the Taliban from the mouth of his son, ISNA News Agency website, Date of publication: 12 Aban 1397 SH, Date of access: 12 Esfand 1403 SH.
- Afghanistan Taliban's reaction to the killing of "Sami-ul-Haq" leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan, Tasnim News Agency website, Date of publication: 12 Aban 1397 SH, Date of access: 12 Esfand 1403 SH.