KABUL: Even as Afghanistan’s government continued to remain reticent on Saturday following reports that Pakistan’s top religious figure had been assassinated, several nationals expressed happiness over his demise.
Commonly known as the “Father of Taliban”, Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, was killed in a knife attack at his residence in Rawalpindi, on Friday.
He ran a capacious Islamic seminary for students in northwestern Pakistan which was attended by a number of Afghan Taliban leaders in the 1980s, including the group’s founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Many Afghan officials accuse Haq of ‘nurturing terrorists’ in the seminary, with several graduates going on to participate in the country’s war for decades.
A former senator, Haq requested the Taliban’s support after the US-led troops overthrew the militant group’s government, in late 2001, in Afghanistan.
President Ashraf Ghani’s government which had recently asked Haq to facilitate peace talks with the Taliban, did not comment about his assassination. However, many ordinary and educated Afghans on social media and other platforms either expressed their happiness or showed no sympathy.
“Any one that sends a message of condolence or sympathy for the careening of this person is not an Afghan because he has shed the blood of Afghans without any justification…,” Nasrat Sultani, a government employee, said.
Tabish Forogh, an activist described Haq as the “ugly caricature of the partners of state-sponsored terrorism”.
Outgoing lawmakers and parliament nominees joined the chorus by expressing their jubilation at the reports. “Big News! The terror mastermind and hydra is gone,” Atta Nasib, a prominent parliamentarian candidate, said, with Hamid Sahil, a journalist, adding that “the hands of the assassin of Haq need to be kissed”.
“Hard to shed a tear for a man that was responsible for so much pain,” Saad Mohseni, the mogul of Afghan media, tweeted.
President Ghani’s brother, Hashmat Ghani, who is a businessman and holds no official title threw caution to the wind by questioning: “Now that father of the Taliban is dead, won’t be long before their mother (IS)?”.
While condoling Haq’s family and Pakistan, the Taliban in Afghanistan in an official statement termed Haq as a “martyr” and his death as a “major loss” for the Islamic world, particularly Pakistan.
Afghans jubilant over death of “Father of Taliban”
Afghans jubilant over death of “Father of Taliban”
- Pakistan’s top religious figure was assassinated on Friday
- President Ghani has yet to comment on the matter
Thousands rally in Karachi after deadly mall fire, demand resignations and reforms
- Protesters cite fire that killed at least 67, blame civic failures, weak emergency response
- Rally adds pressure on Sindh’s ruling party amid anger over infrastructure and utilities
KARACHI: Thousands rallied in Karachi on Sunday demanding the resignations of local officials and systemic reforms following a devastating shopping mall fire that killed dozens last month.
The demonstration underscored deepening public anger over civic failures in Pakistan’s largest city.
Approximately 4,000 people marched under the slogan “Enough is enough” in a rally organized by the political Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
Demonstrators cited chronic water and power shortages, poor emergency services, and crumbling infrastructure as key grievances.
The blaze at the Gul Plaza Shopping Mall in January, which left at least 67 dead and over 15 missing, has intensified scrutiny of the city’s disaster preparedness and governance.
The protest’s main speaker, Jamaat e Islami’s Karachi chief Munim Zafar, demanded immediate compensation for the victims’ families and affected businesses. He also accused the city’s administration of failing to provide basic utilities and competent emergency services.
“Our demand is clear: compensation for the families of those who died in the Gul Plaza incident, and compensation for the traders who suffered losses. They should be given alternative support to help them rebuild their businesses,” Zafar said.
He said Karachi’s residents were being denied basic services and protection, calling for the resignations of senior city and provincial officials:
“The people of Karachi deserve to live with dignity, but you’re not providing them with basic necessities like water and electricity. When there’s a fire, you’re incapable of rescue, and when it rains, the city is flooded. Our infrastructure is in shambles ... Karachi needs an empowered local government system.”
The protest increases political pressure on the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which governs Sindh province and Karachi.
City and provincial authorities have previously pointed to rapid urbanization and funding limits when addressing infrastructure issues.
The offices of Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and the Sindh government did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on demonstrators’ requests.
