‘Tahaffuz bill to create sectarian harmony’

LAHORE:LEADERS and scholars of different schools of thought have stressed that Tahaffuz Bunyad-e-Islam Bill if signed into a law would practically eliminate sectarian provocation and strife from society and go a long way in creating lasting sectarian harmony.

Addressing All Parties Conference (APC) under Majlis Ahrar Islam here on Sunday, the scholars demanded the Punjab government hold consultations with Ulema and scholars of all schools of thought to take them into confidence and evolve consensus on bill.

The joint communiqué of the APC strongly criticised certain elements engaged in committing blatant blasphemy of sacred Muslim personalities in the garb of criticizing the bill, warning that such criticism was amount to creating sectarian provocation and fanning sectarian strife in society.

The APC was chaired by naib ameer of JUI Maulana Habib-ur-Rehman Darkhwasti while scholars from different schools of thought included JUI secretary general Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi, Maulana Zahedur Rashedi, Maulana Mohammad Ahmad Ludhianvi, Syed Kafeel Bukhari, Hafiz Abdul Ghaffar Rupari, Liaqat Baloch, Dr Farid Paracha, Abdul Latif Khalid Cheema, Maulana Ilyas Chinioti MPA, Hafiz Zubair Ahmad Zaheer, Qari Zawwar Bahadur, Rasheed Rizvi, Ibtesam Elahi Zaheer, Hafiz Asad Ubaid, Maulana Ashraf Tahir, Qazi Zafarul Haq, Maulana Abdul Khaliq Hazarvi, Tayyeb Qureshi Advocate, Maulana Asadullah Farooq, Mian Awais, Qari Yusuf Ahrar, Maulana Yunus Hasan, Hafiz Nauman Hamid, Hafiz Ahmad Ali and others.

The meeting decided to unite all the parties working for the protection of honour of Sahaba (RA) and Ahle Bait (RA) by creating a platform on the pattern of All Parties Tahaffuz Khatm Nabuwwat and to create a platform under the banner of All Parties Tahaffuz Sahaba (RA) and Ahle Bait (RA) Action committee.

Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi was nominated to invite all parties and personalities for the purpose and convene their consultation towards the objective.

The communiqué demanded the government check and scrutinise the objectionable material through Muttahida Ulema Board instead of bureaucrats and said Ahle Sunnat leaders should also be allowed to hold meetings and gatherings for expressing tributes to Ahle Bait during holy month of Muharram. The meeting condemned the comments of the US government on the murder of a blasphemer.