A group of leading clerics in Pakistan has condemned the Islamic State (IS) group amid concern that it could find recruits among Islamist militants in the country.
The Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) said the IS militant group, which controls swaths of Iraq and Syria, is violating Islamic teachings.
"Islam and Muslims cannot support the killing of innocent people and destruction of their properties at the hands of ISIS," a statement said, using another acronym for the group.
PUC also called on people and youth in Islamic countries to stay away from any violent group that acts against the teachings of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.
Pakistan has suffered years of bloody attacks in the hands of homegrown Islamist terrorists.
Earlier this month, the Pakistani Taliban vowed to send fighters to support IS fighters.