Viral video of Aimal Wali’s warning to Maulana Hamidul Haq is from Nov 2020, unrelated to Darul Uloom Haqqania blast

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is misleading.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a keyword search to find the original video and contacted a Dawn correspondent for translation.

Posts from multiple users on social media platform X on February 28, 2025, shared a video, claiming it featured Awami National Party President Aimal Wali Khan threatening Darul Uloom Haqqania Vice Chancellor Maulana Ham­idul Haq Haqqani before his death in a blast at the seminary the same day. However, the video is old and unrelated to the latter’s death.

At least six people, including Haqqani, were killed and 15 injured when a suicide blast ripped through the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district on Feb 28.

Haqqani, the son of assassinated cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, served as vice chancellor of the Darul Uloom Haqqania and chairman of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) political party. He previously served as a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007.

HOW IT STARTED

On Feb 28, an X user, who appeared to be a supporter of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, posted a clip featuring Aimal Wali speaking to a crowd of people in Pashto.

The caption of the post read: “A threat from Aimal Wali Khan to Maulana Hamidul Haq before the explosion. Maulana Hamidul Haq martyred in Haqqania madrassa blast today.”

The post was viewed over 19,000 times.

The clip with the same claim was shared by PTI leader Qasim Khan Suri, racking up over 231,000 views.

It was captioned: “’Maulana Hamidul Haq, control your tongue, or else you will meet the same fate as your father.’ – Aimal Wali. This video is from before yesterday’s explosion. Whose message was Milo delivering to Maulana Hamidul Haq Shaheed, the head of the negotiation jirga with the Afghan Taliban? Who is the enemy of Pak-Afghan peace?”

It was also shared here, here, here and here, garnering 24,000, 54,000, 17,000, and 12,000 views respectively.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality, keen public interest in Hamidul Haq’s death and the nature of the allegation suggesting the ANP and Aimal Wali’s involvement in the incident.

A keyword search for “Hamid ul Haq” and “Aimal Wali Khan speech” on YouTube yielded a five-minute long video posted by Charsadda Journalist dated November 18, 2020.

Dawn correspondent Zahid Imdad was approached to translate the viral clip and the original Pashto video to provide context.

According to him, Aimal Wali did not directly say, “Maulana Hamidul Haq, control your tongue or else you will meet the same fate as your father.” Instead, the ANP leader prefaced his statement with a conditional phrase, saying: “If the Pashtuns curse you, then your fate will be the same as your father’s.”

This distinction is significant because the conditional phrasing changes the intent and meaning of the statement.

Per the correspondent, Aimal Wali’s speech was more of a warning or prediction based on public sentiment rather than a personal or political threat.

Furthermore, the video is four years old and thus has no connection to Hamidul Haq’s recent death.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim that a video shows ANP leader Aimal Wali Khan threatening JUI-S leader Maulana Hamidul Haq of dire consequences before the latter’s death in a suicide blast is misleading.

The viral video is from a longer video of Aimal Wali’s public address in November 2020 and thus entirely unrelated to the seminary attack. Furthermore, the tone and content of his speech seemed to be more along the lines of political rhetoric and a warning than a definite threat.