ISLAMABAD: Ulema and religious scholars in their Friday sermons vociferously condemned Sialkot incident and said that the killing of any person on unsubstantiated blasphemy accusations was not permissible in any circumstances.
The ‘day of condemnation’ was observed across the country mosques on Friday. The religious leadership stressed that all the sections of society have to come out against the extremist mind-set and extremist thinking.
Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi and other prayer leaders in their Friday sermons said that the entire nation was united and agreed to punish the perpetrators of the Sialkot tragedy. The tragedy has brought shame and disgrace to Pakistan.
The courts have the authority to punish the perpetrator of blasphemy as taking law in to hand was not permissible according to Sharia and law of the land.
They said the lynching of a Sri Lankan national in Sialkot has embarrassed the entire nation. A person accused of blasphemy should be brought to justice and complain should be registered to relevant law enforcers and wait for a court decision. Elements involved in making blasphemy allegations on others for their vested objectives in Pakistan would also be punished under the blasphemy law, he added. People involved in Sialkot incident even do not know blasphemy, Ashrafi said adding those elements accomplice in Sialkot tragic incident did not even know properly how to say prayers and Kalima.
Ashrafi said the leadership of all religions and religious schools of thought have agreed to launch a nationwide public campaign against extremism. It is ‘Haraam’ and forbidden to use the blasphemy accusations and the religion of Islam for one’s very purposes and objectives.
He said that Sialkot tragedy was another chance that we should get united and make implementation on National Action Plan.
Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said that 137 complaints have been resolved in one year, we all have to become ‘Adnan of Sialkot’. Adnan tried his level best to save Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara.
Ashrafi said that promotion of inter-faith harmony was the need of the hour. No one would be allowed to be abused in the name of religion in the country. “We will not give our children a frightened Pakistan, this is not the land of few extremists, this was the land of millions of moderates. All of us have work together to save our house from burning”.
The religious leadership stated that a joint council comprising representatives of all the religions would be constituted to contain misuse of religion and to promote unity and interfaith harmony.