The Islamic scholars and clerics affiliated with Sunni Muslim group Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in Pakistan have said slain Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone attack on November 1, was not a martyr.
Islamabad, Nov 9/Nationalturk – In a significant development, at least 30 Islamic scholars and cleric affiliated with Sunni Muslim group Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in Pakistan have issued a Fatwa (religious edict) saying slain Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief and Pakistan’s Most Wanted Terrorist Hakimullah Mehsud was not a martyr.
“Those who resort to violence in the name of holy war (Jehad) are not martyrs, but aggressors,” said SIC chairman Hamid Raza Rizvi while reading a fatwa issued by 30 Islamic scholars and clerics affiliated with the organisation.
‘Hakimullah was involved in killing of thousands of people’
The fatwa said Hakimullah was involved in killing of thousands of innocent people and army men. “The fact that he was killed by a US drone could not purge him of his sins and he was not a martyr.”
The fatwa was signed by the head of SIC Ulema Board, Allama Sharif Rizvi, and members Allama Akbar Rizvi, Mufti Saeed Rizvi, Allama Hamid Sarfraz, Allama Ammar Saeed Sulemani, Pir Atharul Qadri and others.
Rizvi said all the Islamic scholars and clerics opined that calling a man responsible for the loss of so many lives, a ‘martyr’ went against the teachings of Holy Quran and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
After killing of TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud in US drone attack on November 1, Pakistan’s religious parties leaders – Jamaat-e-Islami chairman Munawwar Hasan and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had claimed that Mehsud was a ‘martyr’ as he was killed in US drone attack.
‘No justification for killings in name of revenge for drone attacks’
The SIC criticised both Hasan, Rehman and other like-minded leaders saying there is no justification for justifying killings in the name of revenge for drone attacks.
“The drone attacks represented the worst violation of laws, morals and basic tenets of humanity, but killing innocent people as a way of avenging them was unacceptable,” said SIC chief Hamid Raza Rizvi.
He said the statements of Fazlur Rehman and Munawar Hasan had rubbed salt on the wounds of heirs of over 50,000 killed in terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
“TTP members considered all others except their like-minded people as infidel and liable to be killed, which is against the teachings of Holy Quran and Sunnah. Besides, TTP also disowns the Constitution of Pakistan, which was formulated by Ulemas and religious scholars of all schools of thought, and that also qualified him to be called as a traitor of the country,” stated the fatwa issued by SIC.
Condemning the US drone attacks, the religious scholars and clerics declared both Taliban terrorists and US enemies of Pakistan and Islam.
They demanded force be used to eliminate terrorists through a decisive military operation.
Write your comments and thoughts below
Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk Pakistan News
[adrotate banner=”46″]
