Ashrafi announces ‘Day of Condemnation’ over Sialkot incident

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman and Special Aide to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Wednesday said the entire nation is united to punish the perpetrators of the Sialkot tragedy.

He said the leadership of all the religions and religious schools of thought has agreed to launch a public campaign against the extremism. “It is ‘Haraam’, forbidden to use the blasphemy accusations and the teachings of Islam for one’s gains and all the religions of Pakistan are united against this mafia, who takes lives of the innocent people in the name of religion,” he said while addressing a press conference after meeting the leadership of different religions and religious schools of thought.

He was also flanked by Ulemas-Mashaykh and leaders of different religions and religious schools of thought, including Dr Paul Bhatti, Pastor Emanuel Khokhar, Bishop Arshad Joseph, Maulana Noman Hashir, Maulana Abu Bakar Hameed Sabri, Maulana Zulfiqar Ahmed, Maulana Qasim Qasmi, Maulana Atif Tanveer, Sahibzada Hafiz Saqib Munir, Allama Sajjid Naqvi, Maulana Asif Karim, Maulana Tahir Aqeel Awan, Maulana Naib Khan, Maulana Shahbaz Ahmed and Maulana Hafeez-ur-Rehman.

The PUC chairman announced that the ‘day of condemnation’ will be observed in the mosques all over the country on Friday, December 10, adding that this will also be observed in Churches and other worship places on Sunday, December 12. “On Friday, December 10, from every mosque, it will be heard that the people involved in the Sialkot tragedy do not belong to Pakistan,” he added.

He said it has also been decided that the Muslim and non-Muslim leaders will launch a public awareness campaign on blasphemy and Namoose-e-Risalat (S.A.W).

He said that COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran Khan have a firm stance that extremism will not be tolerated. “We appeal to the chief justice of Pakistan to hang those involved in the Sialkot tragedy,” he added.

He said that there are some elements, who are campaigning against the blasphemy law. “Blasphemy Law is the protector of human lives,” he added. The PM’s special aide said that no one will be allowed to be abused in the name of religion in the country.

He said the woman, burnt in Kot Radakishan, had a baby in her womb. “The fire has been burning for the last forty years, while the foreign guest was burnt just because he had asked to finish the work in time,” he added.

He said that 137 complaints have been resolved in one year, adding that we all have to become the ‘Adnan of Sialkot’ as he tried his level best to save Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara. “All of us have to work together to save our house from burning,” he added.

He said the Pakistan Council over the Rimsha Masih issue said that she is our daughter and we cannot stand with any killer. “The killer is only a killer,” he added. He said that the Sialkot tragedy is another chance to get united and ensure implementation of the National Action Plan. “Elements involved in leveling the blasphemy allegations against others for their vested objectives in Pakistan will also be punished under the blasphemy law,” he added.

Meanwhile, the religious scholars said a joint council comprising the representatives of all the religions will be constituted to contain the misuse of religion and to promote the unity and interfaith harmony. They said the people involved in the Sialkot incident even do not know about the blasphemy.