KABUL – President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has welcomed the announcement bythe religious scholars including the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca,during the Ulemas conference in Saudi Arabia, for calling the ongoing warin Afghanistan ‘Fitna’ or intrigue.

“On behalf of Afghanistan I would like to extend my sincere thanks andgratitude to the Ulema gathered at the OIC Afghan Ulema Conference in SaudiArabia. I welcome the Ulema’s decision that the war in Afghanistan is a“fitna” and has lost its legitimacy,” President Ghani said in a statement.

He also added “I also thank the leadership of Saudi Arabia and the rest ofthe Islamic world to provide unwavering support to bring peace andstability in Afghanistan.”

This comes as the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca said Tuesday that theongoing war in Afghanistan is a ‘Fitna’ as he called for an immediate endto the ongoing violence.

Insisting the faith and peace are interrelated, the Imam of the GrandMosque in Mecca said the ongoing situation in Afghanistan is not tolerableanymore.

In the meantime, the Afghan High Peace Council Secretariat Chief, MohamamdAkram Khpalwak, said the international conference of the religious scholarsis a historic achievement.

Khpalwak further added that the high peace council of Afghanistan fullysupports the decisions of the conference, hoping that the declarations willhelp the peace process in Afghanistan.

He also hailed the support to the Afghan peace process by the Saudi Imams,Saudi Kingdom, Organization of the Islamic Cooperation, and the IslamicWorld.

Khpalwak said he is hopeful that the conference will pave the way for therevival of Afghan-led peace process.

According to Khpalwak, the clear stance of the Islamic world and thereligious scholars for calling the Afghan war as illegitimate will have apositive impact on peace process in Afghanistan.