Intolerance, sectarianism dangerous for Islamic society, says Fazl

KARACHI: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said the religious intolerance and sectarianism are dangerous for Islamic society and they are being propagated to malign and sideline the religious forces from the political spectrum.

Speaking at Islam Zindabaad conference organized by his party at Bagh-e-Jinnah on Thursday, Rehman said to counter these designs the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, was created in 2002 but they could not continue it.

The MMA has been revived recently by JUI-F, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Jamiat Ulema Pakistan and Islami Tehreek Pakistan, appointing Rehman as it president and JI’s Liaquat Baloch its general secretary. “We hope that we will achieve our goals [this time],” he said.

Talking about the city, he said: “Karachi is the economic pulse of Pakistan and nobody will be allowed to cut it away from the country,” and added the city needs political and social stability and peace.

“We take all the ethnicities living in Karachi as one community,” he said, adding his ulemas propagated their message of ending ethnic conflicts and racial differences. “We have adopted the framework of conquering Karachi politically.”

The JUI-F chief said Pakistan has been forced into quicksand after becoming an ally of the United States in its so-called war on terror. He added the dictator of that time sold the national pride to foreigners.

He said conspiracies are in swing to stop way of religio-political forces from coming to power. “Once again we are being asked about our loyalty,” he added: “We should not be eyed with skepticism.” He said the JUI-F has already expressed its stance several times in Peshawar and Lahore that it has defied armed struggle and has opted for the constitutional and democratic way to achieve its goals.

“Confidence should always be on both side,” he said, adding the state should trust them. He questioned the non implementation of the recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology for past 35 years despite that it was a constitutional institution.

“If we don’t see our struggle [for an Islamic state] getting accomplished through political and democratic means than our trust [on the state] breaks.” He said India has unleashed its atrocities in the occupied Kashmir and is resorting to unprovoked firing and shelling at the Line of Control and in the areas along the border. “Iran is not with us today. Its president visited India twice in a year and calls it a brotherly country.” He said China is supporting Pakistan through China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Some forces, he added, however, are trying to put hurdles in the progress and attempts are being made to create political uncertainty in the country.

The JUI-F's deputy chief Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, who is also a Senator, said: “Today’s conference is a referendum by the people of Karachi” that they stood with his party. “Since 1977, the Pakistan Peoples Party has ruled Sindh, except a few times, but what have they done?” He added the next chief minister in the province will be from the JUI-F.

He said: “Pakistan was created in the name of Islam. But neither an Islamic nor a welfare state system was seen anywhere [in the country]. The debate on what system of justice should we have here is still ongoing.” He said in the past 70 years, generals ruled the country, sometimes from the front and sometimes from behind the curtain and asked people if they wanted to spend their next seven decades in the same manner.

Mentioning the alleged horse-trading in the recent Senate election, he said, “Khan, Sardars and other politicians sold off their votes. One political party admitted that its 20 members sold their votes.” He said his party and allies will not let such leadership be throned in the country and will fight till the end.