By IANS
New Delhi : While clerics and madrassa students in Pakistan lashed out at the Pakistan government for the shootout in Islamabad's Lal Masjid, the Jamiatul Ulema Hind (JUH) in India labelled the armed clash with Pakistani troops as "sheer stupidity".
The JUH, also involved in the running of the most important Indian Sunni seminary, the Darul Uloom in Deoband, severely criticised the students of the Jamia Hafas madrassa – that runs from the precincts of the Lal Masjid – for firing at troops surrounding the Lal Masjid.
JUH spokesperson Maulana Abdul Hamid Nomani described the action as "jehad" and said: "This has nothing to do with jehad. This is sheer stupidity. This should be condemned. It is actions like these which give a bad name to Muslims and Islam all over the world."
At least 21 people were killed in pitched battles between the militants and students and the security forces in the heart of the Pakistani capital Tuesday.
JUH chief Maulana Mahmud Madani, also a member of the Rajya Sabha, was not in town.
The JUH statement is important because Pakistan's main opposition leader, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, heads the Jamiatul Ulema Islam (JUI), an offshoot of the JUH.