Religious scholars from Afghanistan and India at a gathering in New Delhi on Wednesday issued a declaration, calling the ongoing war in Afghanistan “illegitimate” and asking for a nationwide ceasefire in the country.

The declaration says that “targeting of civilian institutions and public infrastructures by the Taliban goes against the teachings of Islam and it is illegitimate and has no religious justification,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.  

The declaration says that Islam is a religion of peace and it urges harmony and unity among Muslims, hence we call on both warring parties in Afghanistan to stop the war and declare an immediate nationwide ceasefire. 

“The war and violence perpetrated against the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan by the Taliban is illegitimate and has no religious justification,” the declaration says.

The religious scholars called on the Afghan government and the Taliban “to rise to the occasion and seize this rare opportunity to accelerate their negotiations for establishing a just and lasting peace in the country.” 

The religious scholars said in the statement that they support the steps taken by the Afghan government to pave the way for achieving an enduring peace.

The declaration states that Afghanistan has made remarkable progress in various spheres in the last 19 years and that “these hard-gained achievements should be preserved and protected.”

The declaration called on all religious scholars to come forward in support of the peace process in Afghanistan and raise their voice against the heinous attacks on innocent people and to call on the Taliban to agree to a nationwide ceasefire and embrace peace.