Fact Check: Video doesn’t show clerics banning army funerals in Mardan

A social media user claimed that religious scholars in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have refused to hold funerals for soldiers in the Pakistan Army.

This is false, and the video is unrelated and misleading. The posts is part of a campaign to malign the armed forces of Pakistan and spread discord.

An X user, War Analysis, shared a post captioned, “Pakistani sources: The religious scholars (Ulama) of Mardan district in Pashtunkhwa have decided that anyone who dies while serving in the Pakistani army will not have a funeral prayer performed for him, nor will he be buried in Mardan.”

The user posts a video of a religious scholar speaking in Pashto which translates as the following: “Ulema, From today onwards, there will be no funerals for the deceased. We have announced that we will not have any funerals for the deceased. From today onwards, there will be no funerals for the deceased. We are Muslims. We have no feelings for the deceased. We have no feelings for the deceased. We have no feelings for the deceased.”

Arshad Yousafzai, a journalist, shared the video and gives the context regarding the video, saying a “mob tried to stop the burial of a member of “Deendar Anjuman” founded by Siddiq Deendar in Mardan. Later, the mob desecrated his decades old grave. The mullah said “until these people curse their grandfather, they will not be allowed to bury another.”

https://twitter.com/Arshadyousafzay/status/1987990548385591617

This video shows cleric, Maulana Ikram-ul-Haq, President of Majlis Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat, who uttered the remarks against a member of the Ahmedi community.

It could not be verified when the remarks were made. However, there is credible evidence to suggest that the remarks were not directed to the funerals and burials of the Pakistan Army.

Thus, the claims that clerics and religious scholars have barred the funerals of army officials is Mardan are FALSE, and an attempt to malign the armed forces of Pakistan.