Peshawar: Making a policy statement, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has declared that its ongoing “Holy Jihad” is directed solely against Pakistan’s military establishment and its supporters and that non-Muslims are not the targets.
The TTP came out with this “declaration” in the wake of abduction of Veer Bhan, a former Hindu Tehsil member of Dera Ismail Khan, and said “an order” has been issued to release him.
“In this regard, we would like to clarify that in the ongoing Holy Jihad, it sometimes happens that Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and other non-Muslim minorities are targeted due to ignorance on the part of the Mujahideen,” TTP spokesman Muhammad Khurasani said in the statement.
“Some members of the enemy are also killed by slaughtering,” the statement said.
It went on to explain the Shariah position of TTP regarding these two aspects.
“Our targets in this ongoing Holy Jihad are Pakistan’s military establishment and their supporters,” said TTP which has been waging an open war against the Pakistan Army since November last year.
It said “it is not permissible for the (TTP) Mujahideen to take any action” against non-Muslim minorities who have been living with the Muslims for a long time, “unless these people play a role against the Mujahideen in the ongoing war in support of the security agencies.”
It added, “In the same way, regarding slaughtering, the agreed Shariah policy of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is not to slaughter the enemy.”
Therefore, the spokesman said, “in case of violation in the two mentioned clarifications, the people of Pakistan should inform the authorities of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, so that the perpetrators are punished in a timely manner.”
