Peshawar, Aug 13 (NVI) In a huge development, 500 Islamic scholars and preachers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan have jointly condemned the brutality being carried out by the Pakistani military against the Pashtuns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the name of ‘counter-terrorism’.
These many Islamic scholars and preachers have unanimously issued a ‘Fatwa’ (a religious edict) against the Pakistani military operations which include even aerial bombings by helicopter gunships and drones on civilian areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Islamic leaders say the oppressive actions against common Pashtun people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has led to animosity towards the Pakistani military.
In the Fatwa, the Muslim religious leaders have said that any operation carried out by the Pakistani military in the name of counter-terrorism, in which the blood of the Pakistani people is shed, is ‘haram’ (un-islamic) and ‘unlawful’, whether conducted under U.S. pressure or without it.
The Fatwa also declares that any Pakistani soldier killed in such operations should not be called a ‘martyr’ (shaheed).
The religious edict also prohibited holding of funeral prayer for the Pakistani soldiers killed in such operations.
The ‘Fatwa’ has been warranted because of continued brutality being committed under the pretext of ‘counter-terrorism’ by the Pakistani military which even resorts to aerial bombings using helicopter gunships and drones on civilian areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, resulting in casualties among the common and innocent people, including children and women. (NVI)
