Pak's 'University of Jihad', other institutions fuelling terrorism in their own country, Afghanistan
Nov 22, 2020
Islamabad [Pakistan], November 22 : Several educational institutions in Pakistan are known to propagate extremism and radicalism, which lead to terrorism and one such institution is Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Akora Khattak, about 60 kilometres east of Peshawar, known as the "University of Jihad".
Despite the institution's infamy in some quarters, it has enjoyed state support in Pakistan, where mainstream political parties are heavily boosted by links with religious factions, and some Pakistani extremists, who later attacked their own country, have also been linked to the seminary, including the suicide bomber who assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, reported Al Bawaba.
Earlier this month, Haqqania's leaders had boasted of backing the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan in a video posted online, outraging the Kabul government, which is currently battling a spike in violence across the county as the US prepares to withdraw its troops.
However, Haqqania's leaders dismissed notions that the institution served as a 'terrorist factory' where students received combat training or had a hand in terrorist groups' strategic decisions, according to Al Bawaba.
Pakistan has been universally slammed for sponsoring terrorism in the neighbouring countries.
Last month, Pakistan was retained on Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) Grey List with the anti-terror financing watchdog asking it to continue to work on implementing action plan to address its strategic deficiencies, including demonstrating that its law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terrorist financing activity.
Recently, scores of people took to the streets of Kabul to protest against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's maiden visit to Afghanistan, terming Pakistan a 'producer, sponsor and exporter of terrorism'.
Raising slogans against Pakistan and Khan, the demonstrators were carrying banners and pamphlets denouncing Pakistan's "hypocritic policy".
According to a report by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), around 6,500 Pakistan terrorists are operating in Afghanistan most of them belonging to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), large terrorist group present in Afghanistan.
The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities stated that the TTP has "claimed responsibility for various high-profile attacks in Pakistan and has facilitated others by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Lahskhar-e-Islam".
Recently, a European think tank -- European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) also said in a report that Pakistan is involved in stoking the present escalation of Taliban violence in Afghanistan.
