Religious leaders and scholars from different schools of thought have reiterated their resolve to stand firm against anti-state elements, terrorism, extremism and hatred, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday. The noted figures gathered at a national conference at IIUI and issued a joint communique regarding the TTP's narrative.
Renowned scholar Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani issued a decree that any armed activity against the state of Pakistan was a “rebellion”, which was “haram” and proscribed according to Islamic law.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who were fighting against the Pakistan Army and remained involved in anti-state activities, were rebels, he said while virtually addressing the Paigham-e-Pakistan National Conference on ‘Countering Violent Extremism, Radicalism and Hate Speech at International Islamic University, Islamabad here at its Faisal Masjid Campus.
The decree was also unanimously adopted by the scholars of all schools of thought at the conference. Mufti Taqi Usmani said during his meetings in Kabul while heading a delegation, the Afghan Taliban also expressed their resentment against the TTP elements who were carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan.
“Fighting against national security agencies and carrying out anti-state activities come under mutiny and it has nothing to do with Jihad,” he added.
Council of Islamic Ideology Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz said the sad incident at Army Public School had united the entire nation on one platform to cope with the menace of terrorism.
With the help of Ulema, he said, the government evolved a unified policy in the shape of “Paigham-e-Pakistan” to bridge the communication gap and remove the religious differences for peace and tranquillity in the country.
He proposed that the ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan’ should be given a constitutional cover by the parliament so that it should be implemented at the grassroots level.
Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and the Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said political instability was one of the main factors causing an economic meltdown in the country.
He urged the media to play a responsible role and avoid publishing or broadcasting fake news because it severely affected business activities.
He said there were certain elements who wanted to create chaos but the Ulema and Mashaykh had renewed their pledge to foil the nefarious designs of the enemy against peace and security.
Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad said the “Paigham-e-Pakistan” had united the nation and it was playing a constructive role in the country’s development and prosperity. The Ulema and Mashaykh stood with the Pakistan Army and other security agencies, and they were countering the enemy’s agenda, he added.
Former religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi said they had to make collective efforts to net the “masterminds”, who were polluting the minds of youth.
Allama Iftikhar Naqvi said the “Paigham-e-Pakistan” was yielding positive results and its message should be spread.
Ziaullah Shah Bukhari said there were certain elements fueling sectarianism on social media and they could be countered through dialogue or otherwise taking legal action.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil said,” We should make concerted efforts to bridge the gap between the Ulema of Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
Allama Hussain Akbar said the “Paigham-e-Pakistan” should be part of the national curriculum to educate the young generation.
He said a copy of the “Paigham-e-Pakistan” should be provided to the local government institutions across the country to further implement it at the lower level.
Dr Raghib Naeemi, Dr Attur Rehman, Allama Tauqir Abbas, Mufti Nauman Naeem, Mufti Gulzar Ahmed Naeemi, Pir Syed Ali Raza, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Qari Muhammad Hafeez Jalandhari, Muhammad Adil Attari, Pir Chiragh Uddin Shah, Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, Pir Hassan Haseeb ur Rehman, Maulana Zahid Rashidi, Yasin Zafar, Pir Muhammad Azhar Saeed, Pir Khalid Sultan Bahu, Senator Sajid Mir, Mufti Abdul Raheem and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal also expressed their views.