Officials from Afghanistan’s High Peace Council (HPC) on Sunday said they were optimistic about the outcome of a conference of religious scholars from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia last week.

We have achieved what we were expecting out of the conference, said the HPC

According to HPC officials, clerics from the three nations declared the militants war against the Afghan government as illegitimate and said all sides agreed to work together with Islamic scholars in the region and in the world to bring about peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Religious scholars from Afghanistan, Indonesia and Pakistan on Friday issued a declaration on the war and peace in Afghanistan and said they supported efforts for peace in Afghanistan and opposed 'terrorism and violent extremism'.

“Violence and extremism do not have a place in Islam, we wanted the same thing to be stated by the scholars from Pakistan, Indonesia and Afghanistan,” said Mohammad Haidari, deputy spokesman for the HPC.

“Those who endorsed war for twenty years now seem to be ready to announce suicide attacks and explosions as a prohibited act and this is a major development,” said senate chief Fazel Hadi Muslimyar.

“We cannot find a solution to this war out of the conference of clerics unless we find a solution from the political and intelligence directions,” said senate deputy chief Mohammad Alam Ezedyar.

The Ulema (religious scholars) stated in the declaration that war and violence have no place in Islam and that Islam is the religion of peace and true believers should put into practice what this religion has said.

The religious scholars said they support any peace offer, efforts and declarations in the hope of bringing peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.

The declaration stated that the religious scholars of the three countries support the peace offer made by the Afghan government to the Taliban aimed to end war and violence in the country.

“I hope that they stop looking for peace here and there around the world and instead come with strong forces in the trenches and give the Taliban a well-measured response,” senate member Afzal Shamil said.

The religious scholars said in the declaration that the Ulema of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia can play a crucial role in promoting peace and that they support such efforts.