Pakistan fatwa denounces 'martyr' title for slain Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud

Pakistan’s Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) has denounced the title of “martyr” for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) slain chief Hakimullah Mehsud, as he had killed thousands of innocent Muslims.

SIC Chairman Hamid Raza Rizvi issued two fatwas based on the collective opinion of around 30 muftis and said calling a man responsible for the loss of so many lives a “martyr” went against the teachings of the holy Quran and Sunnah, the Daily Times reports.

The Council is a political coalition of numerous religious groups hailing from the Sunni tradition of Islam.

Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami had declared TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud as a “martyr”, after he was killed in a US drone strike last Friday.

However, the SIC disapproved the statement that anyone killed by the US would be declared a martyr.

The second fatwa rejected the idea of justifying killings in the name of revenge for drone attacks.