Religious parties to observe protest day against conversion bill today

LAHORE: Leaders of various religious parties representing different schools of thought have termed the draft of Anti-Forced Conversion Bill aimed at restricting age limit and mandating three months review time for embracing Islam in the country un-Islamic, unconstitutional and gross violation of human rights.

Addressing the All Parties Conference by Majlis Ahrar Islam here on Thursday, the leaders announced observing Friday (today) as a countrywide protest day where prayer leaders will highlight the series of alleged anti-Islam legislations the PTI government has been making at the behest of foreign powers in an attempt to secularise the country.

The joint declaration adopted in the meeting, read out by Maulana Zahid ur Rashedi, announced rejecting the controversial bill adopted by the parliament as against fundamental rights, the constitution and religious freedom, and called on the government to reject the bill in accordance with the Islamic identity of Pakistan and the Constitution of Pakistan.

The conference noted with concern that for some time now, the PTI government has been adopting such legislation allegedly at the behest of foreign powers and lobbies, which are clear violation of Islamic teachings and constitutional requirements. It said the alleged ignorance and carelessness of the parliamentarians is a matter of concern for the citizens of the country.

For example, (1) controversial Auqaf laws targeting mosques and seminaries, (2) the Domestic Violence Prevention Bill, (3) the law on violence against children, and the European Union's intervention to amend blasphemy laws and those guarding the finality of Prophethood.

The conference lamented that government continued with controversial legislations despite protests of religious quarters and people across the country and showing a growing trend of disregard for constitutional requirements in legislation and foreign interference, which is a question mark for national sovereignty and independence.

The declaration asked Supreme Court to play its role in upholding the Constitution of Pakistan. It appealed the religious and political parties across the country to take the path of joint national struggle for the protection of Islamic values, traditions, civilisation and culture, and convene a joint meeting of the top leadership of the religious parties immediately to chalk out a unanimous strategy.

It welcomed the withdrawal of invading armies from Afghanistan after 20 years and transfer of power to Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan representing the majority of Afghan people. It called on the governments, especially the Muslim countries and Pakistan, to recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan immediately and announce all possible steps for the construction and stability of Afghanistan.

Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam Secretary General Abdul Latif Khalid Cheema appealed to the scholars, preachers and imams of all schools of thought to highlight in Friday's sermons the proposed anti-Islam conversion bill. Raise and declare the defence of the ideological and geographical boundaries of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan..

The conference was chaired by Secretary General of Pakistan Shariat Council Maulana Zahid Al-Rashidi and participated by JI naib ameer Dr Farid Ahmad Paracha, Maulana Abdul Rauf Malik president Muttahida Ulema Council, Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi, Secretary General of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Hafiz Abdul Ghaffar Rupari, Amir of Jamiat Ahle Hadith Pakistan, Maulana M Amjad, Deputy Secretary General of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Allama Zubair Ahmad Zaheer, head of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, Maulana M Ilyas Chinioti (MPA) of International Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Movement, Qari M Rafiq Wajhawi, Qari Yusuf Ahrar, Qari M Qasim, Qari Jameel-ur-Rehman Akhtar, Deputy Secretary General of Pakistan Shariat Council, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, leader of Sunni Ulema Council, Maulana Abdul Waheed Ashrafi, Ameer of Majlis Irshad Muslimeen, Shaukat Zia Chaudhry, Mufti Shahid Obaid of Jamia Ashrafia, Maulana Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Inqalabi, Hafiz M Aseed-ur-Rehman Saeed, Maulana Rao Abdul Naeem Nomani, Qari Ghulam Yaseen Siddiqui, Hafiz Ghazanfar Aziz, Maulana Abdullah Madani, Allama Mumtaz Awan, Dr M Asif, Maulana M Sarfraz Muawiyah, Maulana M Waqas Haider and others.