Hakimullah not a martyr, declares Sunni Ittehad Council

Party passes fatwa based on input from around 30 religious scholars.

LAHORE: Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on Friday denounced the title of 'martyr' for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's slain commander Hakimullah Mehsud, saying this went against the teachings of Islam, Express News reported.

The Council, which is a political coalition of numerous religious groups hailing from the 'Sunni' tradition of Islam, issued two fatwas based on the opinion of around 30 'Muftis' on Friday.

SIC Chairman Hamid Raza Rizvi announced that the collective opinion from all Muftis said calling a man responsible for the loss of so many lives, a 'martyr' went against the teachings of Quran and Sunnah.

Earlier this week, Chairman Jamaat-e-Islami Munawwar Hasan and the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had remarked that TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud was a 'martyr', considering the circumstances of his death.

Rehman had gone to the extent of saying anyone at all killed by the US would be a martyr, in his opinion.

The SIC disapproved of this comment and in a second fatwa, also thumbed down the idea of justifying killings in the name of revenge for drone attacks.

The Council maintained that the inhuman 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.

Chairman Hamid Raza also asked Rehman to take his words back.