ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman who recently said he even considered a dog killed in a US drone attack a "martyr" continues to stand by his opinion and considers people who have criticised him as those who have not understood the situation.

Speaking to media representatives outside the Parliament House on Friday, the JUI-F chief said he was speaking metaphorically, adding that a story of the Ashaab-e-Kahaf mentioned in the Holy Quran referred to a dog that was considered sacred.

As a petition was filed against his statement in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) by Shahid Orakzai, Rehman said he will continue to stand by his remark.

The JUI-F chief had made the remark on Tuesday when asked whether chief of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Hakimullah Mehsud who was killed in a US drone strike in the North Waziristan tribal region qualified as a martyr.

Rehman is a proponent of talks with the TTP and has called out to members of the banned group saying they should not allow derailment of the peace process in the wake of Hakimullah’s killing.

The JUI-F chief has also underscored the importance of calling another All Parties Conference on the matter.

Petition in IHC

Shahid Orakzai, who filed a petition today in the IHC against Rehman's remark, said Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had failed to take action against the JUI-F chief on his statement.

The court has forwarded the petition to the chief justice of the IHC for the constitution of a full bench to hear it.

The petition makes both the speaker and the JUI-F chief respondents.