Pak clerics say Taliban portraying negative picture of Islam by attacking churches

Pakistan Taliban were portraying a negative picture of Islam by attacking Christian churches, leading clerics belonging to different schools of thought in the country have said.

In a joint-statement, the clerics said that the Taliban's view point that attacks on churches is in line with the principles of Islam is totally wrong and against the teaching of Islam.

They said that the Taliban were depicting a negative picture of Islam just to defame the peaceful religion.

According to Dawn News, the spokesperson for the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Shahidullah Shahid, had claimed that a recent attack on a church in Peshawar was carried out in accordance with Shariah laws and that neither the TTP nor any of its umbrella groups were behind the twin suicide blasts.

An attack on All Saints church on September 23rd in the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed more than 80 and injured at least 130.

The attack is believed to be the deadliest ever to target the country's small Christian minority.

The Ulema urged the government to launch an operation against the terrorists who caused irreparable loss to both Islam and Pakistan, the report added.