Sunni Ulema Council

Sunni Ulema Council Pakistan
سنی علماء کونسل پاکستان
Formation2001
PurposeSunni Islamism
Anti-Shi'ism
Deobandism
Political Islam
HeadquartersIslamabad, Pakistan
Location
Secretary General
Masood ur Rehman Usmani (till 2024)
Ahmed Ludhianvi
Leader of Punjab Division
Muhammad Ashraf Tahir
Affiliations Sipah-e-Sahaba
Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat

Sunni Ulema Council (S.U.C) (Urdu: سنی علماء کونسل; English: Council of Sunni Scholars) is a Sunni Deobandi Islamist religio-political organization in Pakistan, which is affiliated with the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama'at (ASWJ).[1][2][3][4]

The group was led by Masood ur Rehman Usmani until his assassination by unknown gunmen in Islamabad in January 2024.[5][6][7]

It is rival group to the Shia Ulema Council.[8] The group's political alignment was further demonstrated when it under the leadership of Muhammad Ashraf Tahir joined the Difa-e-Pakistan Council, an Islamist alliance, in late 2011. This move came amidst heightened tensions with the United States following a 2011 NATO attack on Pakistan near the Afghan border.[9][10][11]

The organization has been the target of violent attacks, resulting in the deaths of several members and leaders. These include Salim Khatiri, its Karachi leader,[12] who was assassinated in an attack widely attributed to Shia militants, and Masood ur Rehman Usmani, who was killed in Islamabad in January 2024.[6][13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Workers of Sunni Ulema Council participate in a rally to observe Youm-e-Shahadat of Hazrat Umar (R.A) on the first of Muharram-ul-Haram in front of the Press Club". Associated Press of Pakistan. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Marka-e-Haq, Independence Day celebrated in Nawabshah". The Nation. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "Sunni Ulema Council warns of protests at 60 points in Karachi | Dialogue Pakistan". DialoguePakistan. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "دشمن قوتیں پاکستان میں عدم استحکام پیدا کرنے کی سازشیں کر رہی ہیں، سنی علماء کونسل". Daily Jang (in Urdu). 2 March 2025. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  5. ↑ "Sunni Ulema Council leader Masood Usmani killed in Islamabad". Pakistan Today. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Thousands of Mourners Attend Funeral for Slain Pakistani Cleric". Voice of America. 6 January 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Asghar, Naeem (5 January 2024). "Prominent religious figure shot dead in Islamabad". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Shia Ulema Council district president shot, guard injured | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 18 January 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Thousands of Pakistanis protest opening of NATO supply route". Reuters. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Hasan, Syed Shoaib (20 February 2012). "Resurgence of Pakistan's religious right". BBC News. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  11. ↑ Walsh, DEclan (9 July 2012). "Pakistan Militant Leads Rally Against Supply Route Reopenings". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  12. ↑ Rauf, Sajid (23 March 2023). "Another religious scholar killed in targeted attack". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Religious scholar shot dead in 'targeted attack' in Karachi's Gulistan-i-Jauhar". Dawn. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
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