'Joint efforts mandatory to restore peace'

LAHORE:

Pakistan Ulema Council chief Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has stressed the need for joint efforts to restore peace and harmony in the country.

At a joint press conference, along with religious scholars and leaders from various schools of thought, in Lahore on Sunday, Ashrafi said all religious leaders issued a unanimous fatwa, declaring the perpetrators as terrorists and condemning their act of killing innocent civilians.

He called on the government to take decisive action at all levels against such elements, pointing out that the roots of terrorism in Pakistan were linked to Afghan soil.

He urged Afghanistan to become a good neighbour, eliminating terrorist hideouts within its borders.