The War Against Kharijites and Intellectual Reinforcement – Pakistan’s Ideological Victory

 

The War Against Kharijites and Intellectual Reinforcement – Pakistan’s Ideological Victory

T.M. Awan

In 2011, terrorism in Pakistan had reached its peak, and suicide attacks had become a daily occurrence. It had become so dangerous that even Pakistan Army officers and soldiers found it risky to move around in uniform.

The Ideological Support for Kharijites and the State’s Dilemma

During this time, the Kharijites had grown so powerful that they were silencing every dissenting voice. Many prominent scholars remained silent due to fear or political expediency, while some so-called religious figures openly provided ideological justification for these terrorists.

Furthermore, Pakistan Army soldiers and officers, upon hearing their opponents raising the slogan of Takbeer and claiming to be fighting for Jihad, often found themselves in a state of confusion and ideological uncertainty. A war is not just fought with military strength but also with intellectual clarity. At that time, the state and the military lacked a strong scholarly and religious foundation to counter the narrative of the terrorists.

Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri’s Ideological Narrative and Historic Fatwa

At this crucial moment, Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri fearlessly declared the war against terrorism as a war against the Kharijite insurgency and identified the armed militant groups fighting against the Pakistan Army as Kharijites.

To substantiate this, he issued a comprehensive and authoritative 600-page religious decree (Fatwa) based on Qur'an and Sunnah, in which he explicitly classified Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), ISIS, and other extremist organizations as Kharijites and declared suicide attacks as absolutely forbidden (Haram) in Islam.
(Reference: "Terrorism and the Kharijite Insurgency," Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri, 2011)

This historic Fatwa became a milestone in shaping Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy in the years to come.

Key Points of the Fatwa:

1. Terrorist organizations, particularly TTP and ISIS, follow the ideology of Kharijites.
2. Islam strictly prohibits suicide attacks and the killing of innocent people.
   (Reference: "Islamic Stance on Terrorism," Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri, 2011)
3. Armed rebellion against the state is completely against Islamic teachings.

This Fatwa became a guiding principle in military and intellectual circles. Pakistani soldiers, who had previously been mentally conflicted when hearing enemy fighters chanting Takbeer, now found ideological clarity and fought with firm belief and spiritual strength, delivering crushing blows to the enemy.

Pakistan’s Official Narrative and Intellectual Reinforcement

Today, nearly 14 years later, the State of Pakistan has officially adopted Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri’s ideological stance.

Both the National Action Plan (2015) and the National Counter-Terrorism Policy (2023) emphasize that the ideological battle against terrorism is just as crucial as the military battle.

As a result, Pakistani media and state institutions now openly refer to terrorists as "Kharijites" and "inhabitants of Hell," marking a significant intellectual shift in the country’s counterterrorism strategy.
(Reference: National Action Plan 2015 & National Counter-Terrorism Policy 2023)

This ideological transformation would not have been possible without the scholarly efforts of an Islamic scholar who provided a strong religious foundation for the war against terrorism. Today, Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri’s Fatwa and curriculum are being formally taught in military institutions to strengthen the ideological and religious commitment of officers and soldiers.

The Way Forward – Eliminating the Ideological Roots of Kharijites

Despite this progress, a major challenge still remains: the ideological training centers and recruitment hubs of extremist groups. Unless these ideological sources are eliminated, the threat of extremism will persist.

Therefore, the following steps are crucial:

✅ Integrating this ideological stance into Pakistan’s educational curriculum.
✅ Introducing a structured syllabus in religious seminaries (Madaris) to counter extremism.
✅ Utilizing media to raise public awareness and eradicate the ideological foundations of Kharijites.

These steps will transform Pakistan into a stable, peaceful, and intellectually secure nation.

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