The recent assassination of Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani remains shrouded in mystery, particularly when analysed alongside other significant events in Pakistan and Afghanistan. On December 11, 2024, Khalil Haqqani, Afghanistan’s Refugee Minister, was killed in a bomb blast in Kabul. Three months later, reports began emerging in the Afghan press, highlighting concerns over the prolonged absence of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister, along with the overseas stays of Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abbas Stanikzai. While Baradar has since returned to Afghanistan, the whereabouts of Sirajuddin Haqqani and Abbas Stanikzai remain unknown.
Meanwhile, ISIS-K (ISKP) has intensified its operations in Afghanistan, carrying out multiple deadly attacks. One of the worst incidents occurred in Kunduz, where a suicide bombing killed 25 people and injured 30, including Zakariya, a Taliban security commander for Kunduz’s Police District.
In its annual security report, the Taliban claimed that citizens of Tajikistan and Pakistan were behind most terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. The report further alleged: "These attacks are mainly planned outside Afghanistan, with perpetrators entering under various guises. Many of these attacks were carried out by foreign nationals, particularly citizens of Tajikistan and Pakistan."
Additionally, the report accused ISKP and other destabilising groups of establishing bases in Balochistan and certain tribal regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, with indirect support from certain factions.
The assassinations of Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, his father Maulana Samiul Haq, and Afghan Minister Khalil Haqqani raise pressing questions. While Hamidul Haq and his father were the heads of Darul Uloom Haqqania, Pakistan’s largest religious seminary, Khalil Haqqani was one of its students. Their violent deaths hint at a broader pattern of targeted eliminations, possibly linked to Afghanistan’s shifting security landscape.
The assassination has once again drawn attention to the Haqqani Network and its long-standing ties to militancy, raising questions about its evolving role in Afghanistan’s complex security environment. Traditionally regarded as one of the most powerful factions within the Taliban, the Haqqani Network has played a pivotal role in regional power struggles. However, emerging tensions within the Taliban leadership, growing rifts between factions, and the escalating threat of ISKP suggest an increasingly fragmented security landscape.
Founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, the Haqqani Network has been a dominant force in Afghanistan’s insurgency for decades. Known for its alleged close ties with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the network has been responsible for high-profile attacks across Afghanistan. It’s a claim which has always been denied by the Pakistan government. With the ascension of the Taliban in Afghanistan, it has evolved from a purely militant group into a political powerhouse within the Taliban administration, exerting influence through key figures like Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current Interior Minister.
The Taliban’s growing engagement with former adversaries, such as Moscow and Tehran, highlights how alliances shift rapidly in the pursuit of broader geopolitical objectives
Interestingly, Maulana Sirajul Haq Haqqani, who headed the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Samiul Haq Group) and was involved in Pakistani politics from 2002-2007, was often referred to as the “Father of the Taliban” due to his ideological influence over the group.
However, recent reports indicate deepening fractures within the Taliban’s leadership. The prolonged overseas stays of Sirajuddin Haqqani, Abdul Ghani Baradar, and Abbas Stanikzai suggest widening divisions between the Kandahari faction and the Haqqani Network. These internal power struggles raise concerns about whether these divisions could lead to more targeted assassinations, such as the killing of Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, whose family has historically maintained close ties with the Haqqani Network.
ISKP has emerged as a major destabilising force in Afghanistan, claiming responsibility for multiple high-casualty attacks. While the Taliban and international powers recognise ISKP’s growing influence as a serious security threat, a deeper analysis reveals a more complex reality.
Despite the Taliban publicly dismissing ISKP’s presence, they have used its existence to justify their rule in Afghanistan. By positioning themselves as the only force capable of countering ISKP, the Taliban have successfully gained diplomatic engagement from countries such as the United States, Russia, and Iran.
Adding to the intrigue, some reports suggest that ISKP’s leader, Shahab al-Muhajir, had past affiliations with the Haqqani Network. If true, this connection could indicate a deeper intelligence game at play, where ISKP might not be operating entirely independently but could be strategically manipulated by factions within the Taliban for broader political objectives.
The Taliban’s growing engagement with former adversaries, such as Moscow and Tehran, highlights how alliances shift rapidly in the pursuit of broader geopolitical objectives. However, the central question remains: Will internal rifts within the Taliban eventually undermine their control, or will they successfully navigate these fragile power dynamics? The targeted assassinations of figures like Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani and the unsolved killing of Maulana Samiul Haq suggest intensifying power struggles within the region’s militant landscape. The assassination of Afghan Minister Khalil-ul-Rehman Haqqani also remains a mystery, fueling speculation about who is behind these eliminations.
Condemning the assassination of Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, Pakistan’s Prime Minister vowed to eradicate terrorism from the country. However, the menace of militancy has now reached a point where even those who once supported or justified militant ideologies are falling victim to the same cycle of violence.
Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani is not the only religious leader to have met such a tragic fate. Numerous religious leaders and activists associated with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have been targeted in violent attacks. On July 30, 2023, a suicide bomber struck a JUI-F workers’ convention in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), killing at least 64 people and injuring over 122. The Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for the attack. More recently, two JUI-F leaders in Balochistan were assassinated in Khuzdar’s Zehri area, when unidentified motorcycle gunmen opened fire on them.
It is no coincidence that Maulana Samiul Haq and Maulana Fazlur Rehman—two of Pakistan’s most influential religious figures—have both been labeled as the “Fathers of the Taliban” due to their ideological influence. While ISKP is widely regarded as a militant force hostile to the Taliban, it has also absorbed a significant number of fighters from splinter groups of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. Despite this, ISKP appears to be deliberately targeting figures and institutions historically linked to the Taliban, suggesting a complex and evolving power struggle within the region’s militant landscape.
These attacks serve as a serious reminder for religious seminaries to critically reassess their approach to education. There is an urgent need to reform teaching methodologies, ensuring that religious institutions become centers of peace and tolerance rather than breeding grounds for extremism and militancy.