ISLAMABAD: Security forces have arrested a man identified by security sources as Mufti Zafaryab, who is alleged to have facilitated activities linked to the militant group referred to by the Pakistani state as Fitna al-Khawarij.
According to security sources, the suspect was taken into custody during an operation, and investigators are continuing to examine his alleged links with militant operatives.
In a statement attributed to the detained individual, Mufti Zafaryab said he completed the eight-year Dars-e-Nizami course at Jamia Nizam-ul-Uloom, Yateem Khana, Bannu, and later obtained a three-year specialization in Islamic jurisprudence (Takhassus fil Fiqh) from Al-Markaz Al-Islami Ghoriwala.
Security sources said that during interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted to maintaining contact with a militant commander identified as Hikmat Roshan.
According to the sources, the suspect stated that state institutions were aware of these contacts, which ultimately led to his arrest.
The detained man allegedly claimed that the militant commander sought religious rulings from him to justify extortion carried out in the name of jihad.
Security sources further alleged that the commander offered positions and financial incentives to him and other individuals in an effort to recruit supporters.
In a statement attributed to him by the security sources, the suspect expressed regret over his alleged actions and claimed that the militant group has no connection with Islam.
He was quoted as saying that the group’s ideology is un-Islamic and that it wrongly declares the killing of Muslims to be permissible.
The statements attributed to the suspect have been released by security sources. The allegations have not been independently verified, and no court has yet determined the suspect’s guilt. Legal proceedings are expected to continue in accordance with Pakistani law.
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