Pakistan would have been secular without role of clerics, claims Fazl

KARACHI: Pakistan would have been a secular country like India, had the clerics not played their role in the assemblies, Jamait Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman said on Thursday.

Fazl was addressing an Ulema Convention at a seminary in Mehmoodabad. Other leaders of JUI-F including Senate deputy chairman Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, federal minister Akram Khan Durrani and Qari Muhammad Usman were also present on the occasion.

The JUI chief said that there is a declared ideology behind the vote bank of the religious parties while other parties have ulterior motives and are working on the agenda of the foreign countries. “Ulema and leaders of religious parties must come forward to play their role in the society,” he urged.

Mentioning the recent Khatam-e-Nabuwwat controversy, Fazl said an attempt was made to change the law related to oath, but was thwarted within 24 hours due to the pressure from the religious groups. “We were the first to point out this mistake or an attack,” he said. He said the Aalmi Majlis Tahafuz Khatam-e- Nabuwwat went to the court while “some of the friends” staged a sit-in on the issue with an understanding of a mutual cause. The JUI F chief said people could keep their disagreements without spreading hate against each other. We have to save our coming generation from catchy [secular] slogans.” Talking about the role of seminaries, he saidthey are the ideological cantonments of the country and should not be eyed with discrimination and hate.