Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Photo: AFP file

KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has criticised a recent Pakistani religious ruling by over 1800 scholars declaring suicide bombings un-Islamic.

In an interview to VOA, Ghani said he believes an anti-terrorism Islamic edict, or fatwa, issued by Pakistan, should have covered the entire Muslim world, including Ghani?s war-torn nation.

Speaking to a gathering of Afghan youth, women, civil society activists and clerics in Kabul he said that fatwas issued under Islam have never been confined to geographical boundaries of a single nation. Clerics in the audience agreed with the Afghan president after he asked for their opinion on the matter.

He admitted that the Afghan army could not survive for more than six months without US aid because of a shortage of funds in the country.

Ghani expressed concern at Taliban gaining strength again in the country, stating that the Taliban are sowing seeds of hatred and doubts for the government in the minds of the public.

The Afghan president also admitted that approximately 21 international terrorist groups have a presence in Afghanistan and these groups are factories of suicide bombers.