Probe uncovers links between illegal seminaries and terrorist facilitation

Authorities say arrested facilitator used religious rulings to justify extortion

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Web Desk July 22, 2026 2 min read

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Authorities on Wednesday said an investigation into a suspected terrorist facilitation network had uncovered alleged links between illegal seminaries, extortion and the misuse of religious rulings to support militant activities.

According to the authorities, local facilitators used unregistered seminaries to obtain religious decrees under the guise of religion to justify acts of terrorism.

The arrested suspect, identified as self-styled cleric Mufti Zafar Yab, was found to have been affiliated with Jamia Nizamul Uloom in Bannu and a faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), according to the authorities.

Officials said the disclosures made by the suspect highlighted the need to bring illegal seminaries under the Directorate General of Religious Education (DGRE) in line with the National Action Plan.

According to investigators, the suspect said he completed the eight-year Dars-e-Nizami programme at Jamia Nizamul Uloom's Yateem Khana branch in Bannu before obtaining a three-year specialisation in Islamic jurisprudence (Takhassus fi al-Fiqh) from Markaz Islami Ghoriwala.

Authorities further revealed that the suspect admitted to being an active associate of terrorist commander Hikmat Roshan and a member of the Gul Bahadur Shura. According to the confession, militant commanders sought religious rulings from him to justify extortion and intimidate wealthy individuals in the name of jihad.

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The suspect further said that Roshan offered inducements, positions and financial incentives to him and others in return for supporting the group's activities.

He also stated that the group referred to by the state as Fitna al-Khawarij had no connection with Islam and followed an ideology that justified the killing of Muslims. The Pakistani state uses the term Fitna al-Khawarij to refer to terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Security and religious affairs experts cited by the authorities said the disclosures suggested militant groups exploited illegal seminaries and self-styled clerics to advance their objectives.

They noted that an agreement reached in 2019 between Wifaqul Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan and representative organisations of religious seminaries under Ittehad Tanzimat-e-Madaris provides a framework for the registration of seminaries.

The experts said the latest disclosures underscored the need to bring unregistered seminaries under the DGRE's regulatory framework in accordance with the National Action Plan.

They further called for transparent scrutiny of illegal seminaries and any affiliated political organisations to prevent support for extremism and terrorism.

The experts added that stronger government oversight of seminaries, curriculum standardisation and improvements in educational standards across Pakistan's religious education sector remained essential.