Cleric urges politicians to avoid name-calling

Mufti Taqi Usmani calls on leaders not to turn political differences into personal enmity

ISLAMABAD:

Renowned religious scholar and former Federal Shariat Court judge Mufti Taqi Usmani on Monday called upon politicians to refrain from name-calling and indecent language while responding to their opponents.

"A difference of opinion, whether it is political or ideological, should not lead to personal enmity, violence and mudslinging," the scholar said in a Twitter post, urging politicians to avoid "harsh language" against rivals.

Mufti Usmani recalled that Allah Almighty asked Prophet Moses (Peace be Upon Him) to use a soft tone against Pharaoh and invited the nation to "think where we are headed."

He further noted that the way Islamic commandments were being ignored over political disagreements was "horrifying".

The scholar added, "May Allah save us from the consequence of indulging in the practice," and quoted verses from the Holy Quran prohibiting the same.

A day earlier, former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to refrain from ridiculing the political opponents by calling them names.

Talking to media persons after an informal meeting with the party's parliamentarians, Shujaat noted that PM Imran always spoke about the model state of Medina, but he wouldn't have levelled accusations or called his opponents' names had he studied the commandment in Holy Quran that prohibited it.

Two days ago, while addressing a huge public gathering at Blambat Ground in Timergara, the district headquarters of Lower Dir, the premier had said he had been asked by the army chief not to call Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman “diesel”.

Turning his guns towards former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Imran had said, “I am told not to call Nawaz a bhagora [absconder] and a liar.”

He also called former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari a daku (bandit) during the same speech.