Use of force by any group unacceptable: COAS

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir warned on Friday “use of force and armed action by any militia, entity or group, other than the state, is unacceptable”.

He was talking to leading Islamic scholars (ulema and mashaikh) of all schools of thought at GHQ here, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. The army chief said, “Pakistan belongs to all Pakistanis without any religious, provincial, tribal, linguistic, ethnic, sectarian or any other distinction.”

General Asim said there was no space for intolerance and extreme behaviour by any entity against anyone, particularly against minorities and vulnerable segments of society.

Ulema and mashaikh unanimously condemned extremism, terrorism and sectarianism and pledged their continued support to untiring efforts of the state and security forces for bringing tolerance, peace and stability in the country. They underscored that Islam is a religion of peace and harmony and any skewed and distorted interpretations of religion by certain entities is for their vested interests only and has nothing to do with Islamic teachings.

The COAS, while lauding ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan’ Fatwa by religious scholars to nullify misleading propaganda, disseminated by extremists and terrorists, called upon ulema and mashaikh for its propagation and implementation in letter and spirit and shunning internal schisms. He signified the role of ulema in harnessing youth towards understanding Quran and Sunnah and character building, alongside other academic knowledge and technical skills.

The forum unanimously supported government’s measures to harden the state including repatriation of illegal immigrants, implementation of ‘One Document Regime’, anti-smuggling and hoarding measures and anti-power theft drive. It also fully acknowledged Pakistan’s position and concerns on terrorism emanating from Afghan soil and urged serious actions by Afghanistan to address Pakistan’s concerns.

The forum also expressed anguish on the ongoing conflict in Gaza and atrocities being committed against helpless people of Palestine and termed them crimes against humanity.