Head of Hamas Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh has extended condolences to Pakistan's grand mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani over the death of his brother Muhammad Rafi Usmani.

In a phone call Saturday, Haniyeh praised the deceased mufti, who served as president of Darul Uloom Karachi and was the son of the late Mufti Muhammad Shafi Usmani, for endorsing Arab and Muslim issues, in general, and the Palestinian cause, in particular. 

"Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah have lost one of their most prominent figures and scholars, who had long defended Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque," Haniyeh continued. 

"May Allah shower the deceased with His mercy and make his abode in His spacious gardens."