Allama Raghib Hussain Naimi, the chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), has said that it is both “unIslamic” and “unlawful” to declare a person liable to death. Naimi, in a statement, said that such “emotional actions harm the purpose of the Khatm-e-Nabuwat (Seal of Prophets). No individual or group is allowed to kill anyone by the judgement of their own court of law and issuing a fatwa by themselves”. According to a statement issued by the office of the chairman of the CII, Pakistan is a “constitutional and Islamic state”, with permanent punishments for all types of crimes identified by the legal system, which are given by the court according to the prescribed procedure. The Council has repeatedly emphasised that incitement, issuing a fatwa of takfir (declaring anyone of no longer being a Muslim) and threatening to kill a government, state, or a common person are against the clear teachings of the holy Quran and Sunnah. The statement further added that the scholars and muftis of all schools in Pakistan had decided that “it is their official duty to provide religious knowledge about the right and wrong views”. It emphasised that it is the responsibility of the scholars and muftis to decide based on Shariah if someone has committed blasphemy or uttered balsphemous words and whether it is the jurisdiction of the state, government or the court. According to the statement, Naimi said that if anyone disagrees with the Supreme Court’s recent decision, it can be discussed in a scholarly manner. “A person cannot be allowed to judge the faith and religion of others according their own arbitrary interpretations and issue a fatwa that they should be put to death,” he said. The statement comes after Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Vice Emir Pir Zaheerul Hasan Shah incited violence against Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa. He is in police custody now. Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar on Monday said that the culture of creating a state within the state and issuing fatwas must be condemned by all. He said that no one has the right to issue a fatwa of killing related to a court decision. Speaking to the media, the law minister said that a case has been registered on the issue of giving threats and arrests will also be made. The minister said that the state will not allow anyone to speak whatever comes to his mind, adding that there will be no compromise on this issue. He said that those who take the law into their hands would be severely dealt with iron strictly. The federal law minister said that no one has the right to issue a fatwa of murder related to a court decision. This is the campaign we have to stop, he said. Tarar said that such content should be included in the education curriculum to end intolerance in the society. He said that Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa is a person of good name and principles. He said that no transgression is allowed under the guise of human rights or freedom of opinion.