Sunni Ittehad Council

The Sunni Ittehad Council (Ittehad in Urdu for "unity", from al-Ittihad in Arabic meaning "united" or "jointly") is a political alliance of Islamic political and Barelvi religious parties in Pakistan which represents followers of the school of Sunni Islam.

SIC was formed in 2009 and the current member parties of the Sunni Ittehad Council include the Aalmi Tanzeem Ahle Sunnat of Pir Afzal Qadri (of Gujrat) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) was founded by Mohammad Abdul Ghafoor Hazarvi. Later, it broke into many factions.

One of the breakaway 'F' faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) was established by Sahibzada Fazl Kareem and Haji Hanif Tayyab. Now, this faction is working under the leadership of Sahibzada Hamid Raza.

Another breakaway 'M' faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan was working under Sayyid Mahfooz Shah Sahib Mashahdi (Peer of Bhikhi Sharif, Mandi Bahaudin). It also became part of Sunni Ittehad Council.

After the 2024 election, the winning independent candidates supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf joined this party at Imran Khan's behest.

Actions
In December 2011, the Sunni Ittehad Council launched a countrywide "Difa-e-Pakistan campaign" to create public awareness against NATO attacks on Pakistan’s border military posts in Mohmand Agency. They also decided to hold a "Condemn America Day" on the 23rd of that month. Those NATO attacks killed over two dozens Pakistani soldiers.

Sunni Ittehad Council's chairman, Sahibzada Fazal Kareem, presided this decision wherein it was taken at an 'All Parties Conference' of many parties of Ahle Sunnat school of thought.

The US government website Usaspending.gov shows that the Sunni Ittehad Council received $36,607 from Washington in 2009. Sunni Ittehad Council had organized anti-Taliban rallies in Pakistan in the past. But the council later demonstrated in support of Mumtaz Qadri who killed the liberal politician Salman Taseer for his criticism of anti-blasphemy laws in Pakistan. According to a Hudson Institute report, "A few days after the assassination, leading religious groups led a demonstration of over fifty thousand people in Karachi in support of the blasphemy law. During the rally, Qadri was lionized as a Muslim hero, while rally leaders sternly warned the crowds against mourning Taseer, whom they claimed had deviated from Islam."

In September 2011, the Council reacted to rumors that the United States might invade Pakistan in an attempt to put down terrorist networks in the country. The Council issued a fatwa, stating that jihad against the US would become obligatory, where the country would encroach upon Pakistani soil, urging the Pakistani government to prepare the nation for a holy war "in the way of God."

On 12 October 2012, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwā against the Taliban gunmen who tried to kill Malala Yousafzai. Islamic scholars from the Sunni Ittehad Council publicly denounced attempts by the Pakistani Taliban to mount religious justifications for the shooting of Yousafzai and two of her classmates.

On 19 February 2024, PTI leader Gohar Ali Khan announced that its party-backed independent candidates in the 2024 general election would join Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) as part of their parliamentary strategy.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) submitted on 22 February the joining certificates of independent members aligning with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). According to details provided by the PTI Secretariat, a total of 86 independent members have pledged allegiance to the Sunni Ittehad Council for the National Assembly. Simultaneously, certificates of 105 members of the SIC for the Punjab Assembly and 85 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have been submitted. Moreover, the joining certificates of 9 independent members of the Sindh Assembly have also been presented to the Election Commission, further solidifying the SIC's presence in key legislative bodies.

Division
Due to some political divisions, the Sunni Ittehad Council broke into two. One faction, led by Sayyid Muhammad Mahfooz Shah Sahib of Bhikki Shareef, declared that Sahibza Conference Kareem and Haji Hanif Tayyab had been removed from their positions due to an attempt to create an alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) without the prior permission of the member parties of the Sunni Ittehad Council, along with a host of other allegations.

Sahibzada Fazal Kareem, therefore, established one group Sunni Ittehad Council (F), while Sayyid Mahfzooz Shah made another group called Sunni Ittehad Council (M). Fazal Kareem later died and the leadership of the Sunni Ittehad Council (F) was given to Sahibzada Hamid Raza.

Ideology
As the Sunni Ittehad Council is an alliance of several religious parties, it follows right-wing politics, and advocates for the involvement of religion in politics. The party follows the Sunni denomination of Islam, and as Sunni parties do, the SIC claims to preach for the teachings of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad to be implemented, mostly to the Pakistani government. Although the party follows the Barelvi and Sunni school of thought of Islam, it has joined hands with parties of other denominations of Islam, most recently with the Shia party, the Majlis Wahadat-e-Muslimeen, under mediation by the SIC’s ally, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

The party has also openly criticized both the Taliban and the American military involvement in Pakistan, while also heavily participating in anti-terrorism efforts.

Following the 2022–2023 political unrest in Pakistan, the Sunni Ittehad Council voiced support for Imran Khan and the PTI. The SIC is heavily involved in supporting Imran Khan especially after the 2024 Pakistani general election.