Written by: Mufti Abu Harith, a graduate and specialist from Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan
Recently, Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have once again revived their sinister agenda, targeting national and religious figures, orchestrating mysterious assassinations, inciting sectarian conflicts, and cultivating an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust among religious parties.
In Pakistani society, it is a well-established fact that the state and its intelligence agencies, either directly or through trained proxies, systematically target religious scholars. At times, they focus on Deobandi scholars, while at other times, they target those affiliated with the Ahl-e-Hadith (Salafi) school of thought. Additionally, they employ security threats and intimidation tactics to create an environment of fear, distress, and uncertainty, while attempting to shift the blame for these killings and threats onto the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or other militant groups.
Recent Incidents
In the last week of Sha’ban, ISIS-Khawarij martyred Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq (may Allah have mercy on him), the deputy administrator of the renowned Deobandi seminary, Jamia Darul Uloom Haqqania, in Akora Khattak. Just a week later, the prominent Ahl-e-Hadith scholar Sheikh Aminullah Peshawari (may Allah preserve him) received death threats and security warnings. These incidents unmistakably signal the involvement of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies in orchestrating chaos and instability through calculated and deliberate schemes.
Similarly, in Kurram District of Khyber Similarly, in Kurram District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, recurring outbreaks of sectarian violence, resulting in deadly clashes between Shia and Sunni communities, have become a calculated and exploitative tactic of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies. By deliberately fueling these conflicts, they perpetuate division and instability to serve their strategic interests.
At the state level, the primary objective behind fueling conflicts, promoting violence, and orchestrating targeted killings is to deepen existing divisions among religious groups—particularly between the Deobandi and Salafi sects, as well as between Shia and Sunni communities. These tactics aim not only to create further division but also to weaken movements actively struggling for their legitimate rights, while fostering an atmosphere of doubt and distrust among the public toward these religious movements.
Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, under the influence and support of Jewish and Zionist forces, have a significant history of manipulating religious sectarianism and orchestrating the assassinations of prominent religious scholars. To substantiate this claim, we present a few historical examples, leaving the judgment and conclusions to the readers.
In Pakistan, there exists a long and deeply troubling history of targeted killings and assassinations of prominent Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith scholars, as well as Shia, Sunni, and Barelvi leaders and scholars. This history is further marred by violent attacks on their gatherings and congregations. For the purposes of this discussion, however, we will present only a few illustrative examples to highlight this concerning pattern.
The Assassination of Ahl-e-Hadith (Salafi) Scholars
In the 1980s, the founder of Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Allama Ehsan Elahi Zaheer (may Allah have mercy on him), along with six other prominent members and over a hundred workers, was martyred or injured in a bomb blast during a gathering—an attack orchestrated by covert and ruthless intelligence agencies. Can anyone question which groups were behind such oppression and terror in the 1980s? Did the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or other militant groups even exist at that time?
From the martyrdom of Allama Ehsan Elahi Zaheer (may Allah have mercy on him) to the martyrdom of Allama Abdul Hameed Rahmati (may Allah have mercy on him), the deputy leader of the Salafi Jamaat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the primary responsibility for the killings and assassinations of hundreds of Ahl-e-Hadith scholars and workers lies with the military. Maulana Abdul Hameed Rahmati (may Allah have mercy on him) was one of the Salafi scholars who had publicly pledged allegiance to the IEA just months before the fall of Kabul, which led to swift retribution from state agencies against him and others like him.
Today, the renowned Salafi scholar, Sheikh Aminullah Peshawari (may Allah preserve him), has received death threats, while the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has issued a statement declaring these threats to be fabricated, a continuation of the state’s covert game.
The Assassination of Deobandi Scholars
The targeted killings and martyrdoms of Deobandi scholars form another deeply disturbing and painful chapter. In Pakistan, the Deobandi school of thought has four major branches:
1. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI)
2. Jamaat Ishat-al-Tawheed wal-Sunnah
3. Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS)
4. Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat
The history of the assassinations of many scholars and leaders of these four parties predates the emergence of current militant groups. Notably, the leaders of Sipah-e-Sahaba and Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Khatm-e-Nubuwwat were openly assassinated in broad daylight.
The martyrdoms of prominent scholars, including Maulana Dr. Habibullah Mukhtar (may Allah have mercy on him), Maulana Mufti Abdul Sami (may Allah have mercy on him), Maulana Mufti Abdul Majid Dinpuri (may Allah have mercy on him), Maulana Mufti Saleh Muhammad Karwri (may Allah have mercy on him), Maulana Muhammad Yusuf Ludhianwi (may Allah have mercy on him), Maulana Dr. Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzi (may Allah have mercy on him), Maulana Mufti Muhammad Jameel Khan (may Allah have mercy on him), Maulana Nazir Ahmed Tunsawi (may Allah have mercy on him), Maulana Saeed Ahmad Jalalpuri (may Allah have mercy on him), and the collective killings of the teachers of Jamia Farooqia, Karachi, reflect a deeply troubling pattern.
These incidents, including the assassination of Maulana Dr. Adil Khan (may Allah have mercy on him), son of Maulana Saleemullah Khan (may Allah have mercy on him), the leader and founder of Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan, in broad daylight in October 2020, and the subsequent attempts to shift the blame onto Shia groups and their alleged militant factions, reveal a calculated agenda and the orchestrated nature of these killings. What does this indicate?
The attacks on the scholars and workers of the Barelvi school of thought, particularly the leaders and activists of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), during demonstrations, gatherings, and shrine visits, are widely known and documented.
For instance, in 2006, the bombing at the Milad-un-Nabi gathering in Nishtar Park, Karachi, resulted in the martyrdom and injury of over 60 scholars and more than a hundred workers—a horrific incident that shocked the nation. Similarly, in Faizabad and Karachi, blind bullets were fired at gatherings, protests, and demonstrations, and toxic gases were deployed. Were these acts carried out by a terrorist group, or do they point to a deeper, more sinister agenda?
The State’s Hidden Hand Behind These Killings
Recently, many righteous scholars, particularly political and religious leaders and activists who have raised their voices against state policies, have been targeted in a series of suspicious and tragic incidents. These events are part of a long-standing, corrupt political strategy implemented by Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies to suppress political and religious opposition while advancing Western interests.
Pakistan’s covert intelligence agencies, in alignment with agendas set by their Western benefactors, sometimes engage in direct attacks and assaults. Clear examples of this are evident in the ongoing, dollar-funded conflicts in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and particularly in the tribal areas. At other times, these same forces, after striking from behind, attempt to portray themselves as innocent and blameless.
Remember, after carrying out such actions, Pakistan’s state institutions make deliberate attempts to associate these incidents with jihadist groups under the guise of terrorism. In reality, it is the country’s covert intelligence agencies that plan and execute such events to suppress and intimidate religious parties. Yet, the blood of the noble scholars of Islam, who stand as witnesses to the truth, serves as a testament that they have never been intimidated by such atrocities.
These agencies employed various methods to extract a justification for the killings of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mujahideen from the respected Maulana Sami ul Haq (May Allah bless him). However, the great honor of the Islamic Ummah and the second spiritual leader of Deoband, Maulana Samiul Haq, firmly rejected these demands and proposals from Pakistani institutions. Instead, he chose the path of his contemporaries—righteous scholars such as Shaheed Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzi, Shaheed Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Nasib Khan, Shaheed Sheikh Sultan Ghani Arif, and Shaheed Sheikh Waliullah Kabulgrami (رحمهم الله)—who stood resolutely against state corruption. As a result, Pakistani intelligence agencies brutally martyred this elderly and revered scholar in broad daylight in Islamabad, stabbing him repeatedly with knives in a savage and inhumane act.
Just two weeks ago, the true heir of this martyred scholar, Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq (may Allah have mercy on him), whose veins still carried the warm blood of the great martyr of the Islamic Ummah and who was a fearless advocate and defender of the Islamic Emirate, was swiftly and cunningly martyred as part of a sinister plan. His only crime was his unwavering loyalty to the Islamic Emirate, and for this, he was targeted, taken away, and martyred by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, who viewed him as a threat to their agenda.
A Call for Awareness and Vigilance
Therefore, it is imperative for the people of Pakistan, especially religious scholars, to remain deeply vigilant against the covert operations of the state intelligence agencies. They must educate themselves and analyze the continuity and consequences of past, recent, and ongoing events, plans, and conspiracies, in line with the demands of the time.
The adherents of truth have always remained vigilant and aware of the schemes of Islam’s enemies, confronting them to the best of their ability and safeguarding themselves from their deception and treachery. Had the righteous and truth-seeking scholars been intimidated by such incidents, the light of Islam would never have reached this far.
“The passion of love cannot be erased by sighs;
This lamp cannot be extinguished by mere blows.”