What is the value of a scholar, whether in religious or modern education, if the institution that once granted him a degree later revokes it? Will his credibility remain intact, or will it suffer a severe blow? This question now surrounds the leader of the proscribed group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Noor Wali Mehsud’s Educational Background

In his brief biography released in November 2017, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud disclosed that he received a rudimentary education at Madrisa Siddiqia Ospas. Throughout the 1990s, he studied on and off at several seminaries: Jamia Imdadia, Jamia Haleemia, and Jamia Farooq-e-Azam in Faisalabad; Jamia Nusratul Uloom in Gujranwala; and Jamia Ahsan-ul-Uloom and Jamia Yaseenul Quran, both prominent seminaries in Karachi.

Revocation of Degrees

In a significant development, Jamia Al-Arabia Ahsanul Uloom Karachi has revoked its Dora-e-Hadith degree. In a document issued by the seminary, it stated:

“He studied in Dora-e-Hadith Karachi in 1999. Based on information from Pakistani institutions indicating the student’s involvement in wrongful activities, and upon provision of evidence, the decision has been made to cancel his affiliation and certificate with the seminary. Therefore, he should not be considered a student of the seminary in the future.”

This decision comes as a shock not only for the banned organisation but also for its supporters. In response, a wave of online outbursts has emerged from Pakistani and Afghan Taliban-affiliated accounts, targeting Pakistani Deobandi seminaries and branding senior scholars as state “puppets.”

For context, Dora-e-Hadith is the highest level of study in the Darse Nizami curriculum, focusing on intensive study and interpretation of Hadith. It is often considered equivalent to a Master’s degree. The shock deepened further when another Karachi-based seminary, Jamia Darul Uloom Yaseen Ul Quran, revoked his Takhasus fil Fiqh al-Islami degree, a specialised qualification in Islamic Jurisprudence designed to provide expertise in Islamic law.

Context Behind the Decisions

The directives of these seminaries were issued considering the TTP’s violent attacks against Pakistan’s security forces and civilians, including targeted killings of those suspected of spying for state agencies. While Pakistan has faced deadly years of insurgency, much of this militancy intensified after NATO’s occupation of Afghanistan.

Rise of the TTP and Foreign Influence

The TTP, formed in 2007, quickly emerged as Pakistan’s foremost internal threat. Drawing ideological inspiration from Uzbek militant Tohir Yoʻldosh, the TTP declared Pakistan as Dar ul-Harb (land of war) and attacked the state’s ideological and institutional foundations.

Yoʻldosh (also known as Tahir Yuldashev) was a notorious Uzbek Islamic militant and co-founder of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). He was infamous for his extreme views and brutal tactics, including suicide missions and clashes with security forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

After the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the IMU lost its bases there and forged close ties with Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. Yoʻldosh shifted his operations to Pakistan’s tribal areas and was killed in a U.S. drone strike in South Waziristan on August 27, 2009. Severely wounded in the strike, he died later from his injuries. The IMU confirmed his death in August 2010.

TTP’s Terror Legacy

The TTP has since been responsible for some of the deadliest terror attacks in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to a Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) report, 2024 was one of the deadliest years for Pakistan in a decade:

• Total attacks: Religiously inspired militant groups, mainly the TTP and affiliates, carried out 335 attacks, up from 208 in 2023.
• Casualties: These attacks caused 520 deaths and 633 injuries.

Notable TTP attacks with high casualties include:

• Peshawar Army Public School massacre (2014): 149 people killed, including 132 schoolchildren; over 100 injured.
• Jinnah International Airport attack (2014): 34 people killed in a joint TTP-IMU assault.
• General Headquarters attack (2009): 9 soldiers, 2 civilians, and 9 militants killed.
• Suicide bombing in Peshawar (2023): 100 people, mostly police officers, killed; 225 injured.
• PNS Mehran attack (2011): 18 military personnel killed, 16 injured.

Justifications by Noor Wali Mehsud

Noor Wali Mehsud, flaunting his degrees, has issued many statements justifying TTP’s war against Pakistan. In March 2025, on the eve of Ramazan, he released a detailed statement citing Quranic verses and Hadiths to justify his rebellion. He declared that those who refused to follow his call were apostates.

Draping his words in religious fervour, he referenced scholars like Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai and Hamid-ul-Haq, who once issued decrees that armed struggle against Pakistan was permissible. Yet, both later clarified that rebellion and suicide bombings against the state were haram (forbidden).

Counter-Narratives from Scholars

In fact, many scholars who had initially issued anti-state fatwas later retracted their statements and aligned with the state. Their stance culminated in the Paigham-e-Pakistan initiative (2018), a unanimous fatwa by 1,829 scholars condemning extremism and terrorism. It declared suicide bombers as traitors, reaffirmed that jihad falls solely under state authority, and prohibited the use of force to impose Sharia.

Later in 2023, Mufti Taqi Usmani, Pakistan’s Grand Mufti and an influential Deobandi scholar, reinforced this stance, issuing a fatwa declaring all armed activities against the state as rebellion and haram under Islamic law. His statement triggered harsh online backlash from Afghan Taliban-affiliated accounts, who ridiculed his appearance and labelled him a “lackey” of Pakistan’s military.

Response from TTP and Allies

Although the TTP has not issued an official statement regarding the revocation of Mehsud’s degrees, Afghan Taliban-aligned accounts continue to attack Pakistani seminaries and scholars, branding them as “state puppets.”

Leadership and International Bans

Mehsud, from the Mechikhel sub-clan of the Mehsud tribe, became TTP’s leader in June 2018 after the death of Maulana Fazlullah. Under his leadership, the group remains proscribed internationally:

• September 2010: Designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S.
• January 2011: Proscribed by the UK.
• July 2011: Added to Canada’s list of banned groups.

July 29, 2011: Listed by the UN Security Council.

Closing Thoughts

Now, with two of the most critical degrees for a Mufti, Dora-e-Hadith and Takhasus fil Fiqh al-Islami, revoked, what justification will the TTP, and its allies rely upon? This question also extends to other seminaries: will they follow the same course? The answer lies in the painstakingly thorough process these seminaries undertook before making their decisions. Their actions may well open the door for others to reconsider their own affiliations.