Pakistan Interior Minister: Only State Can Declare Jihad

Pakistan Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday called on clerics and religious leaders to denounce “the fatwas for jihad” posted by people on social media. “Only the state can declare jihad; no group of people has the right to declare jihad against another group,” the minister said while addressing the National Assembly. He added that enemies of the state want Muslims pitted against each other. This comes as the leader of Pakistan’s Ulema Council, Mawlana Fazul Rahman has previously declared Jihad against international forces in Afghanistan.