'Father' of Taliban stabbed to death at Pakistan home

Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The man considered by many the "father of the Taliban" died Friday after he was stabbed at his home in Pakistan, his family said.

Maulana Samiul Haq was assaulted in what authorities said was an organized attack.

"They knew that Maulana Samiul Haq was alone in the house," said nephew Mohammad Bilal. "From the body of my uncle, it seems that they had severely tortured him before taking his life."

Police are investigating but it's unclear how many attackers were involved.

Haq, an influential Muslim scholar and school administrator, was believed to be in his 80s.

As leader of Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, he was responsible for producing thousands of future Taliban fighters and supporters, NBC News reported. Among his students was Mullah Mohammed Omar, who founded the Taliban movement in Afghanistan in the late 1980s.

Haq was a former member of the Pakistani senate and was aligned with the ruling Tehreek-i-Insaf Party, which consulted with him on matters of education and reforms.

News of Haq's death comes as religious groups and political parties protest the acquittal this week of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman accused in a blasphemy case in Pakistan.