Karachi seminary cancels banned TTP chief’s degree

ISLAMABAD: A religious school in Karachi has canceled the degree of Noor Wali Mehsud, chief of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), over “wrong activities,” a madrassa official said on Saturday.

Maulana Akbar Gilgiti, deputy chief of Al Jamia Al Arabia Ahsan Ul Uloom in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, confirmed a letter circulating on social media, apparently shared by security officials.

He said the letter, dated June 25, 2025, had been issued by the seminary administration.

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“Noor Wali Turabi, son of Haji Gul Shah Khan, studied Hadith at Al Jamia Al Arabia Ahsan Ul Uloom in 1999,” the letter read. “According to Pakistani institutions, the said student was involved in activities against the interests of Pakistan. We disown him and his degree has been canceled on the instructions of the madrassa head after receiving proof. He should not be considered a student of the seminary.”

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The letter said that the institution operates strictly under Pakistani laws and bars any activity other than education. “Whenever the madrassa learns of inappropriate activities of a student, he is immediately struck off,” it said.

The TTP has not yet commented, though a group official confirmed that Noor Wali studied at the same seminary.

Maulana Gilgiti told HUM News English that security officials had approached the madrassa to seek cancellation of Mehsud’s degree. “We had initially refused, but the officials showed us a cancellation letter from another madrassa, Yaseen ul Quran,” he said.

He added that the seminary had previously received threats, and while authorities were informed, “no security was provided.”