Decree by 1,829 ulema against terrorists formally issued

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Tuesday said the national counter-terrorism narrative would help eliminate terrorism and reform the people who had chosen the wrong path because of negative propaganda by aberrant elements.

Addressing the launch of national counter-terrorism narrative ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan’ at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, he said the decree prepared by 1,829 religious scholars and Wafaq-ul-Madaris after thorough consultations was a step in right direction, reiterating that Pakistan was an Islamic state believing in peace, tolerance, justice and love. Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Leader of the House in Senate Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman, Maulana Abdul Malik, Islamic International University Rector Dr Masoom Yasinzai and Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed were also present on the occasion.

The president said the launch of national narrative on counter-terrorism manifested that the whole nation was serious on the issue and would be successful in achieving the objectives through unity.

“I believe that this decree, prepared in the light of true teachings of Islam, will transform their hearts and pave the way for their salvation in the hereinafter."

He said according to Islamic teachings, extremism, bloodshed and suicide bombing were categorised as spreading evil on earth which was categorically prohibited and unjustified.

Mamnoon said the decree would not only promote positive image of the Islamic teachings and Pakistani society in the world but also help overcoming the menace of extremism.

He expressed satisfaction that under the Paigham-e-Pakistan, different religious schools of thought had unanimously prepared an impressive document in light of the teachings of Quran and Sunnah whereby the rationale behind sectarianism and use of religion for spreading evil on earth stood rebutted and the true face of Islam was revealed.

The president pointed out that the state and its institutions to a certain extent fell short of discharging their responsibilities during 1970s to 1990s which resulted in several complexities.

He said the nation sacrificed 70,000 precious lives and suffered huge financial loss due to terrorism and urged all segments of the nation to make a resolve not to repeat such mistakes.

Mamnoon said the roots of extremism and militancy lied in intolerance and in not appreciating different points of views, which fostered sectarianism by eliminating moderation. Renunciation of research, dogmatism and intolerance resulted in dreadful forms of sectarianism, he noted.

The president said it was imperative that religious scholars, intellectuals and all institutions of the state must be vigilant and, apart from individual efforts, should collectively work with mutual consensus to safeguard the nation against divisiveness.

He said the country’s Constitution provided a strong foundation for national unity and communal harmony, and was the fundamental narrative based on the teachings of Quran and Sunnah and on the sagacity of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He regarded the Constitution as the essence of Charter of Medina and the agreement between the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) and the Christian tribe of Najran.