Wave of cleric killings deepens security fears in Pakistan

A growing wave of targeted killings against prominent religious clerics in Pakistan has intensified security concerns, with several influential figures killed in shootings and bomb attacks since early 2025.

A series of targeted attacks against prominent religious clerics in Pakistan has raised fresh concerns over security and militant violence, particularly in regions bordering Afghanistan.

Since the beginning of 2025, several well-known clerics, including Mohammad Idris Tarangzai, Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani and Abdul Baqi Noorzai, have been killed in shootings and bomb attacks blamed on militants and unidentified gunmen.

Many of the attacks occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where armed groups including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) remain active.

ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the recent killing of Mohammad Idris Tarangzai in Charsadda, where gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on his vehicle.

In one of the deadliest incidents, Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani, head of the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary, was killed in a suicide bombing inside a mosque in February. The seminary, located near the Afghanistan border, is known for educating several Taliban figures over the years.

Pakistani officials, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, condemned the attacks and ordered investigations into the killings.

Pakistan has witnessed a rise in militant violence in recent years, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where attacks against security forces, religious figures and civilians have increased.

Security analysts say the targeted killings reflect growing tensions among militant groups, religious networks and factions linked to Pakistan’s broader Islamist political landscape, deepening fears of further instability.

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