People of Pakistan want independent Palestine: Ashrafi

PUC body says hostile forces including India involved in act of terrorism in Pakistan

MULTAN/LAHORE:

Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Maulana Tahir Ashraf said on Sunday that the people of Pakistan maintained a resolute position on the Palestine issue, aligning with the stance originally articulated by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

He made these remarks while addressing a conference to express solidarity with the people of Palestine. There are two big issues of Muslim ummah: Palestine and Kashmir. Pakistan wants to provide complete justice to the people of Kashmir and Palestine, he said.

We wish Palestine should have the status of an independent and sovereign government with its capital in Al-Quds Al-Sharif, Ashrafi added.

He, however, hoped that the upcoming conference of Arab countries in Riyadh on the issue of Palestine would bring good news.

Ashraf strongly condemned the new wave of terrorism in the country. He stated that enemies wanted to sabotage the peaceful environment of the country through terror. Now, Pakistan is heading toward economic stability, and the terrorists want to destabilize it.

The Afghans are our brothers, and we want Afghanistan to make progress, he noted, adding that illegal Afghans could not be allowed to stay illegally in the country.

The PUC chairman maintained that Pakistan had always served the people of Afghanistan and that peace in the country was vital for peace in Afghanistan, and vice versa.

He criticized propaganda against security institutions.

If the culprits of May 9 were punished, then there would not have been propaganda, Ashrafi observed, and called for strict action against the people involved.

He demanded that the chief justice of Pakistan improve the system of justice and suggested filing a review petition with the apex court regarding the military courts.

Meanwhile, the Central Executive and Consultative Body of PUC convened a significant meeting, addressing the current situation in Pakistan, Palestine, and the Islamic world.

More than 200 members of the PUC executive and consultative body participated in this gathering, which was presided over by Ashrafi.

In a comprehensive declaration, the meeting emphasized that hostile forces, including India and its allies, were allegedly involved in acts of terrorism within Pakistan. It called on the international community to take immediate action against India’s alleged involvement in terrorism.

The meeting commended the Pakistani nation, army, and security agencies for their response to recent terrorist incidents.

It highlighted the united stance of Ulema and Mashaikh and religious scholars from across the country, supporting Pakistan’s efforts to combat extremism and terrorism.