Sunni Itthed Council (SIC) clerics in a joint decree declared the death sentence awarded to Mumtaz Qadri against Quran and Sunnah. SIC leaders announced a countrywide strike on October 7 to protest the sentence after a meeting chaired by Sahibzada Muhammaf Fazal Karim on Sunday. 500 SIC clerics signed the decree asking to overturn Qadri’s sentence.