A group of clerics and religious scholars have issued a fatwa or edict that says jihad will be obligatory for every Pakistani citizen if India attacks the country.

The fatwa was announced at a conference organised by the Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Mahaz at Jamia Naeemia seminary in Lahore [Images] on Monday. The meeting, chaired by Federal Minister Noorul Haq Qadri, was arranged to discuss Pakistan's security concerns.

Besides declaring that jihad would be obligatory for all Pakistanis in case of an attack by India, a communiqu� issued by the clerics said the Pakistan government should end its support to the United States in its war on the western border in case of hostilities with India.

The conference demanded that Pakistan should shrug off the Indian pressure and adopt a courageous and independent stance befitting a sovereign state. The clerics called on the government to expose Indian conspiracies hatched against Pakistan before the world.

The communiqu� said the clerics and scholars reaffirmed the belief that the basic purpose of Pakistan's nuclear capability was to ensure the security of the country against any foreign aggression.