ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Pakistan clerics left for the Indonesian capital Jakarta early on Wednesday where they will attend the trilateral Ulema Conference for peace in Afghanistan.
Clerics from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia will discuss peace efforts in the war-torn southeast Asian country at the conference on Friday.
Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), told Arab News that it is an important initiative but that the “real solution lies in dialogue among all stakeholders in Afghanistan.”
Ashrafi added that “religious scholars can only appeal through such conferences.”
“Pakistan has always supported peace efforts in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that he had been invited to the conference, but he had pre-scheduled commitments. He dismissed media reports that he was not attending the trilateral conference at the request of the Afghan Taliban.
“We have not received any letter or message from the Afghan Taliban asking not to attend the trilateral conference,” he said.
Dr. Qibla Ayaz, head of Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the constitutional body that advises the government on religious aspects of law, and Rector Islamic International University Islamabad (IIUI), Dr. Masoom Yasinzai, are part of the Pakistani delegation traveling to Jakarta.
Dr. Ayaz told Arab News that clerics from different sects are part of the Pakistani delegation.
“Earlier, Pakistani religious scholars unanimously issued a fatwa (decree) in which they declared all forms of terrorism and suicide attacks un-Islamic. I think Indonesia would want to benefit from the manner in which we developed the narrative against militancy,” said Dr. Ayaz.
He added that holding the trilateral conference is important for peace in neighboring Afghanistan and the region.
In November 2017, Chairman Afghan High Peace Council Karim Khalili and other senior council members visited Indonesia and discussed the proposal of holding trilateral conference of Ulemas (religious clerics) from Indonesia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
As Indonesia is one of the major Muslim countries, the Afghan High Peace Council asked Jakarta to support the peace efforts in Afghanistan through religious clerics as they still have some influence over Taliban and its warring factions.
Ayaz expressed the hope that the deliberations would lead to a unanimous appeal for peace in Afghanistan with religious clerics urging the factions to stop violence and join the peace process.
Pakistani clerics leave for trilateral conference on Afghanistan in Jakarta
Pakistani clerics leave for trilateral conference on Afghanistan in Jakarta
- As religious clerics from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia meet to discuss the war-torn country, hopes rise that they will bring warring factions to the peace process.
- Earlier, Pakistani religious scholars unanimously issued a fatwa (decree) in which they declared all forms of terrorism and suicide attacks un-Islamic.
Three militants killed as police repel assault in northwest Pakistan
- Police say nine militants injured, officer lightly wounded in Bannu clash
- The incident was followed by coordinated assaults on two police stations
PESHAWAR: Police in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province killed three militants after repelling an overnight assault on a post in Bannu district, an official said on Wednesday, with fresh attacks reported hours later in what authorities described as coordinated retaliation.
Bannu, a volatile district near Afghanistan, has frequently witnessed militant activity. KP has seen a surge in violence in recent years, with groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) repeatedly targeting police checkpoints, security forces and government installations.
Militants launched a heavy attack on the Khunia Khel police post during the night, according to Aamir Khan, spokesman for the Regional Police Officer in the district, trying to seize the facility. However, law enforcement personnel stationed there fought them off.
“The officers displayed exceptional valor and professionalism, putting up a fierce resistance against the terrorists and forcing them to retreat,” he told Arab News over the phone.
Khan said three militants were killed and nine others injured in the clash, while one police officer sustained minor injuries.
Police were working to establish the identities of the slain attackers in the remote region, he continued, adding that one of the militants had been identified as commander Umar Azam, also known as Khazmati, while another was identified as Shahidullah.
The identity of the third militant was still being determined.
Khan said militants later launched coordinated attacks on the Ahmadzai Police Station and the Fateh Khel police post in an apparent attempt to avenge the deaths of their associates.
Security personnel at both locations repelled the assaults, forcing the attackers to retreat, he added.
The violence comes amid broader concerns about militant groups operating from Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of allowing militant groups to operate from their territory, a charge Kabul denies.
The issue has strained ties between the two neighbors and led to major border clashes last year.
