One thousand eight hundred Pakistani Muslim clerics have issued an Islamic directive, or fatwa, declaring that suicide bombing is against the teachings of the religion, and is therefore “haraam”.

The directive was contained in a book published by the state-run International Islamic University, which was unveiled on Tuesday.

“This Fatwa provides a strong base for the stability of a moderate Islamic society. We can seek guidance from this Fatwa for building a national narrative in order to curb extremism in keeping with the golden principles of Islam,” Mamnoon Hussain, President of Pakistan, wrote in a book.

Pakistan has witnessed violent attacks by Islamist extremists who say they were fighting a holy war or jihad.

“No individual or group has the authority to declare and wage jihad [holy war],” the clerics declared.

However, some members of the Pakistani parliament say the declaration was the result of pressure from the US government.

Two weeks ago, the White House said that it would continue withholding $255 million in military aid to Pakistan because of what it described as the country’s reluctance to confront terrorist networks.

It is yet to be seen whether the declaration will bring about a reduction in suicide bomb incidents in Pakistan, as similar fatwas seem not to have had the desired results.