Thousands attend funeral for senior Taliban-linked cleric slain in Pakistan’s northwest

AKORA KHATTAK – 1000’s of mourners attended a funeral Saturday for a Taliban-linked cleric slain in Pakistan’s northwest.

Hamidul Haq, the pinnacle of Jamia Haqqania seminary, was one in all seven individuals killed in a suicide bombing a day earlier at a mosque inside a seminary compound. Police stated Haq was the goal of the assault.

He was the son of the late Maulana Samiul Haq, who is taken into account a founding determine for the Afghan and Pakistani branches of the Taliban. Many Afghan Taliban have studied at Jamia Haqqania prior to now few a long time.

No one has claimed duty for Friday’s assault.

Authorities issued a photograph of the alleged suicide bomber and urged the general public to establish him, providing a reward of 500,000 rupees, or $1,787, for data on his identify, parentage and place of residence.

Mourners packed into the primary corridor of the seminary for Haq’s funeral, with extra praying on the road. The prayers handed with out incident attributable to a heavy police deployment and seminary college students guarding the venue.

The bombing at Jamia Haqqania seminary was one in all 4 assaults in Pakistan on Friday, two of them at mosques, which had been uncommon each of their quantity and timing, simply earlier than the holy month of Ramadan.