A prominent Pakistani religious leader, known as the \u201cfather of the Taliban\u201d for his close ties to the Islamic terrorist organization, was stabbed and shot\u2026<\/b>
\nA prominent Pakistani religious leader, known as the \u201cfather of the Taliban\u201d for his close ties to the Islamic terrorist organization, was stabbed and shot at his home Friday in Rawalpindi, according to family members.
Maulana Samiul Haq, 82, was found dead and bloodied after an attack that his nephew believes was premeditated and planned at a time when the attackers knew Haq\u2019s bodyguard would not be there.
\u201cIt\u2019s seems to be an organized attack as they knew that Maulana Samiul Haq was alone in the house,\u201d his nephew, Mohammad Bilal, told NBC News .
\u201cWe don\u2019t know about the number of assailants at the moment but from the body of my uncle seems that they had severely tortured him before taking his life,\u201d Bilal said.
Haq was a former senator and longtime leader of a Sunni conservative Muslim party, a foe of Western countries, and is credited with training thousands of Taliban members while he was a leader at Darul Uloom Haqqania University.
Hundreds of mourners gathered in the streets Friday to protest Haq\u2019s killing, which came after violence in the Muslim region after the Pakistan Supreme Court\u2019s Wednesday acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death on blasphemy charges.
It is not confirmed whether Haq\u2019s death is directly related, but a few of Haq\u2019s aides told The Washington Post that the religious leader attempted to join the court protests at one point this week, but didn\u2019t because the roads were blocked. (RELATED: Five Ex-Gitmo Detainees Freed In Bergdahl Exchange Now On Taliban Negotiating Team In Qatar)
Hafiz Saeed (2nd L), the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Maulana Samiul Haq (C), chief of the Defence Council of Pakistan, join hands with other leaders during an anti-U. S. rally in Quetta on April 26,2012, against the reopening of the NATO supply route to Afghanistan. AFP PHOTO\/BANARAS KHAN
Pakistani President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the killing, according to The Associated Press.
\u201cWe lost a great scholar and religious leader today,\u201d Khan said in a statement while on an official visit to China.
\u201cThose behind his killing were in fact the enemies of Islam,\u201d Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
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