LAHORE, Oct 14: Ulema of all major schools of thought have declared suicide attacks ‘haram’.

“It is a unanimous decree of the ulema that suicide attacks in Pakistan are haram and illegitimate. But it seems as if the government is covertly backing these attacks so that patriotic citizens may not assemble and launch a mass drive for the defence of the country,” said a joint declaration released to the media after a meeting held here on Tuesday.

It endorsed a decree earlier issued by religious scholars in Karachi. It alleged that US agenda was being pursued under the cover of terror acts.

The meeting called for convening an all-party conference, including representatives of parties outside parliament, for devising a joint strategy to steer the country out of the quagmire.

It called upon ulema across the country to condemn the US policies in their sermons on Friday and prepare the people for a mass movement.

It pledged to send a delegation of ulema to Bajaur and Swat for bringing the ‘facts’ to light.

The ulema called upon the nation not to leave the survival of the country to the rulers and parliament alone and to play a role in this regard.

It asked the government to take along ulema and other notables in every area in efforts for apprehending criminals, anti-state elements and foreign agents.

It also urged all Muslim countries to de-link their currencies from the US dollar and float their own common currency.

The meeting was attended by Jamia Naeemia’s Dr Sarfaraz Naeemi, Jamaatud Dawa amir Prof Mohammad Saeed, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Dr Farid Piracha, Muttahida Ulema Council’s Maulana Abdur Rauf Malik, Jamiat Ittehadul Ulema’s Maulana Abdul Malik, Shariat Council’s Maulana Zahidur Rashdi, Syed Niaz Husain Naqvi, Mufti Ghulam Sarwar Qadri, Saleemullah Khan, Hafiz Akif Saeed, Allama Zubair Ahmad Zaheer, Jamia Ashrafia’s Maulana Fazlur Reheem Ashrafi and Jamia Manzoorul Islam’s Pir Saifullah Khalid.