ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday called on clerics and religious leaders to denounce ‘jihad fatwas’ posted by people on social media, declaring that in an Islamic country only the State had the right to declare jihad, not a mohalla or a mosque. “Only the state can declare jihad … no group of people has the right to declare jihad against another group,” he told the National Assembly while speaking on the suicide blast at Dargah Fatehpur Sharif near Gandawa area of Jhal Magsi district. “We need to prevent that from happening and I humbly request religious leaders to condemn the fatwas posted on social media. If we let this go on, the country will turn into a battlefield with various groups and ethnicities pitted against each other,” he added. “The enemy wants Muslims to behead each other. If we continue treading this path of violence and unrest, we wouldn’t even need an [external] enemy to destroy us,” the minister said. “If we start handing out fatwas on kufr in every street and neighbourhood, and the maulvi in every street mosque starts handing out fatwas about who is kafir and who is Muslim, then there will only be chaos. It is God who is to decide who is going to heaven or hell … it is not our job,” he said. The minister said it was not the right of the any individual to issue decree and declare any person non-Muslim or to do politics in the name of religion. “Another thing people do is give out fatwas about who can be murdered – that is not for individuals to decide, only the state can decide such matters.” The minister stressed for strengthening unity among all ranks to completely efface the menace of terrorism from the country and called upon political parties to join hands to defeat enemies of the country. During the last four years, Pakistan has achieved significant successes in the war against the terrorism, he said, and added some elements were entering from across the border and hitting the soft targets in the country. “Such cowardly attacks cannot create fear and defeat the people. Our enemy is not familiar that these attacks would further enhance courage and determination of people,” he said. The minister said during the last four years, the government had successfully launched operations ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ and ‘Rudd ul Fasaad’ which helped stamp out terrorism from the country. He said eradication of terrorism from the country was a prerequisite for prosperity and development of the country. About the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat oath, he said that text of nomination papers in the Elections Act 2017 had been restored to its original shape. Published in Daily Times, October 7th 2017.