Karachi: Religious scholars representing the National and Provincial Paigham-e-Aman Committees, along with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, on Wednesday emphasized the need for national consensus, interfaith harmony and tolerance, while paying tribute to the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and police personnel for their sacrifices in safeguarding the country against terrorism.
Addressing a joint press conference after a meeting with the Chief Minister at the CM House, Chairman of the National Paigham-e-Aman Committee, Allama Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, lauded the Pakistan Armed Forces, police, Rangers, Frontier Corps (FC) and other security institutions for their services and sacrifices in protecting the country’s security. He said the entire nation salutes the personnel who continue to lay down their lives in the line of duty and described the country’s martyrs as “the pride of the nation.”
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah assured the National and Provincial Paigham-e-Aman Committees of the Sindh government’s full support. He said Sindh was the land of Sufi saints whose message was based on peace, love and harmony. The Chief Minister expressed hope that collective efforts for peace would earn divine blessings and said Pakistan had gained greater international recognition following the success of Marka-e-Haq.
Allama Ashrafi said the federal and provincial governments had constituted the National and Provincial Paigham-e-Aman Committees to eliminate violent tendencies and promote peace and tolerance across the country. He said the committees, formed under the vision of Field Marshal, Syed Asim Munir, Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President, Asif Ali Zardari, including representatives of all schools of thought as well as members of minority communities.
He said the committee’s guiding principle was to respect one’s own beliefs while refraining from interfering with the beliefs of others. Representatives of Sikh, Christian and Hindu communities were also members of the committee, reflecting its commitment to strengthening interfaith and inter-sect harmony, he added.
Referring to the country’s security situation, Allama Ashrafi praised the armed forces for their role in combating terrorism and said Pakistan had enhanced its international standing through its efforts for regional and global peace. He also paid tribute to security personnel engaged in operations against terrorists, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Expressing concern over remarks that undermine the sacrifices of security personnel, Allama Ashrafi said soldiers did not sacrifice their lives merely for salaries but for the defence of the nation. He regretted that some individuals were politicising the issue and disrespecting the country’s martyrs, warning that such behaviour would not be tolerated. He also expressed solidarity with the families of martyrs and offered an emotional apology to them for any statements that hurt them.
He also paid tribute to Rangers personnel who laid their lives while protecting the Rangers compound in Karachi from suicide attackers of Fitnatul Khwarij terrorists and said Sindh Government under the leadership of Syed Murad Ali Shah adopted strict security measures during Muharram ul Haram and terrorists could not succeed in their nefarious designs to create lawlessness in the city. Ashrafi said that had the terrorists succeeded in targeting religious congregations during Muharram, it would have resulted in widespread loss of human lives.
Earlier, members of the National and Provincial Paigham-e-Aman Committees, led by Allama Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, called on Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and appreciated the Sindh government’s arrangements during Muharram-ul-Haram.
Chairman, Council of Islamic Ideology, Allama Raghib Hussain Naeemi, Ziaullah Shah Bukhari, Allama Syed Athar Hussain Mashhadi, Mufti Muhammad Jan Naeemi, Pandit Maharaj Goswami, Sardar Ramesh Singh and other committee members were also present on the occasion.
