A group of clerics (religious scholars) from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on January 9 issued a fatwa condemning terrorism and stating that Jihad can only be declared by the head of an Islamic state, not by individuals, reports Samaa TV. In the fatwa (religious edict), the scholars declared that not everyone has the right to declare Jihad, and that avoiding the laws of the land is unlawful. They also stated that it is haram (forbidden or unlawful) to take up arms and wage war against police and military personnel. If soldiers and policemen are killed while protecting Pakistan, they are considered martyrs, according to the fatwa. The fatwa also addressed the issue of rebellion against the State, stating that insurgency against the ruler of the time is considered sedition, and that perpetrators deserve punishment. It stated that sedition and rioting within the Islamic state, as well as incitement against the state, are not permitted under Sharia (Islamic law). The fatwa declared that anyone involved in sedition is considered to be rebelling against the Constitution of Pakistan. The 14-page fatwa has been signed by 16 religious scholars from difference schools of thought, including Maulana Qari Ehsanul Haq, Mufti Subhanallah Jan, Dr Maulana Attaur Rehman, Maulana Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Dr Abdul Nasir, Mufti Mukhtarullah Haqqani, Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, Maulana Salmanul Haq Haqqani, Maulana Rehmatullah Qadri, Maulana Umar bin Abdul Aziz, Allama Abid Hussain Shakri, Mufti Mairajul Din Sarkani, Mufti Raza Mohammad Haqqani, Mufti Khalid Usmani, Mufti Sheikh Aijaz and Maulana Abdul Kareem. KP Chief Khateeb Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, one of the signatories, said the Ulema had issued the fatwa to answer some questions related to jihad. Maulana Tayyab Qureshi said: “Recently some so-called ulema tried to create chaos using Islam. After that, it became our responsibility to issue the fatwa.”