PESHAWAR: A self-styled cleric linked to Fitna al-Khawarij has made a series of confessional claims following his arrest, saying that militant commanders used fabricated religious rulings and unregistered seminaries to justify acts of terrorism.
The arrested facilitator, identified as Mufti Zafaryab, claimed he completed the eight-year Dars-e-Nizami programme at Jamia Nizam-ul-Uloom in Bannu before pursuing a three-year specialization in Islamic jurisprudence (Takhassus fil Fiqh) at Al-Markaz Al-Islami Ghoriwala.
He admitted that he was a close associate of militant commander Hikmat Roshan and a member of the Gul Bahadur Shura.
According to his video statement, Khawarij commanders sought religious decrees from him to justify extortion, intimidate businessmen and present criminal activities as acts of jihad.
He also claimed that Hikmat Roshan offered him money, positions and other incentives in return for supporting the group’s agenda.
The arrested facilitator further alleged that Fitna al-Khawarij has no connection with Islam and follows an extremist ideology that attempts to justify the killing of fellow Muslims.
The confessional claims highlight concerns that militant networks exploit unregistered religious seminaries and self-styled clerics to advance extremist narratives and recruit supporters.
The case has renewed calls for stricter implementation of Pakistan’s National Action Plan (NAP), including bringing all unregistered seminaries under regulatory oversight, strengthening government monitoring, standardizing curricula and improving educational standards.
It has also reinforced demands for greater scrutiny of unregistered seminaries and affiliated organizations to curb the spread of extremism, while accelerating the implementation of Pakistan’s 2019 seminary registration framework agreed upon with representative religious education bodies.
