'Sell your car, donate to Palestine'; Sher Afzal tells Mufti Taqi

Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Sher Afzal Marwat has advised renowned Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani to begin jihad from his own home, days after the scholar issued a fatwa calling for jihad against Israel in response to the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.

Speaking to reporters in Islamabad on Tuesday, Marwat said Mufti Taqi Usmani is obligated to initiate jihad personally. “He must sell his underused Mercedes to donate to Palestinians,” he added.

Earlier this week, during his address at the National Palestine Conference in Islamabad, Mufti Taqi declared that jihad for Gaza had become obligatory for Muslim states. He expressed disappointment over the lack of real support for Palestinian resistance fighters.

He criticised Muslim states for limiting their response to conferences and resolutions rather than taking concrete steps to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque and assist Palestinian Mujahideen.

The former judge of the Federal Shariat Court condemned Israel’s actions during its devastating military onslaught in the Gaza Strip and supported a boycott of products to express solidarity with Palestine.

However, the scholar emphasised, “Islam is a religion of balance. It is not a religion of vandalising property or hurting someone by merely getting carried away by emotions.

“Therefore, pelting stones at someone or harming someone’s life and property is forbidden in Shariah. Do protest and boycott, but peacefully; there should be no element of unrest.”

Separately, footage of vandalism appeared online yesterday, showing a couple of individuals using abusive language and an intimidating tone while vandalising the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet located in the Saddar area of Rawalpindi.

Later, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at the Cantt police station by the manager of the Saddar branch, under sections 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), and others of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the FIR, the incident took place on Sunday, March 13, at 8:30pm. The complainant stated that while he was working as the branch manager, he heard a commotion. Upon exiting his office, he saw 10–12 individuals armed with sticks and rods, abusing other patrons and families in the restaurant while shouting slogans.

“When we tried to stop them, they abused us and continued to threaten us with violence. I am filing a petition against them. Action should be taken,” the FIR reads.