The Ulema Board of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST) Friday called upon the government to crush "insurgent outfit" Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with full force instead of holding talks with them. In a statement issued here, as many as 100 prominent Ulema and religious scholars of PST Ulema Board Barelvi school of thought declared that any dialogue with extremist Taliban would be against Sharia as Islam does not allow pardoning murderers of innocent people and guilty of "Fassad Fil Arz".
"Those elements that refuse to recognise the Constitution and the state of Pakistan do not deserve any leniency and must be eliminated by force," they stressed. "It is our demand that in the larger interest of the country, a decisive military operation should be launched immediately for it is the responsibility of the government and military to undertake necessary measures to ensure the safety of the country and obey the oath they have taken to preserve the solidarity, sovereignty and constitution of Pakistan," they emphasised.
"The new leadership of the banned TTP has also refused to hold peace talks with the government but it is very surprising that our government and the political parties are still insisting on holding talks with outlaws knowing very well that such an attempt would be futile and humiliating.
The Ulema Board condemned US drone attacks as violation of Pakistan's sovereignty but said, "we cannot allow anyone to kill Pakistani people under the garb of drone attacks. America and TTP are both enemies of Pakistan, they added. The Ulema and Muftis of the Board demanded of the government to stop Nato supplies through Pakistan and shoot down the drones intruding into Pakistani territory.
The statement was issued by 100 members of PST Ulema Board, including Allama Ghufran Mahmood Sialvi, Mufti Liaquat Ali Rizvi, Allama Mujahid Abdul Rasool Khan, Mufti Mohammad Arif Chishti, Allama Muhammad Farooque Chishti, Mufti Abdul Latif Hazarvi, Allama Khalilur Rehman Chishti, Mufti Sultan Qadri, Mufti Muhammad Hasib Attari, Allama Syed Irfan Shah Mujjaddadi, Mufti Asif Saeed Qadri, Mufti Muhammad Rafiur Rehman Noorani, Mufti Muhammad Ayaz Saeedi, Allama Niazi Ahmad Khadmi, Pir Syed Waseemul Hassan Naqvi, Pir Syed Abid Hussain, Allama Tariq Shahzad, Mufti Sarfraz Ahmad Chishti, Allama Amanat Ali Haideri, Allama Ejaz Rasool, Allama Abdul Hafeez Rizvi, Allama Sabil Ahmad Hazarvi and Allama Bashir Naqshbandi.
The Ulema demanded of JUI (F) Amir Maulana Fazlur Rehman to seek Almighty Allah's forgiveness for saying,"if America kills a dog, he would call that a Shaheed." They said Maulana Fazlur Rehman and JI Amir Munawwar Hassan have gravely insulted the bereaved families of 50,000 Shuhada who were martyred by TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsood. The Ulema denounced suicide attacks as Haram, saying targeting innocent people, mosques, shrines, worship places, hospitals, schools, women, children, foreign guests, minorities and security personnel are strictly prohibited in Islam. These enemies of Islam could not be called 'Shaheed'. They said Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat has been the biggest target of the TTP terrorism; however they will never surrender before the TTP elements.