According to the sources participants also decided to establish individual contacts with the government and the homegrown Taliban in an attempt to bring them to the negotiating table. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Distraught by the rampant militant violence in the country, a group of top religious scholars met in an extraordinary session on Monday to condemn the wanton killing of innocent civilians. They also made an impassioned appeal to both the government and the Taliban to cease fire and engage in dialogue to steer the country out of a ‘civil war-like situation’.
“We strongly believe that dialogue is the only way to bring the country out of the civil war-like situation,” the religious scholars from the Deobandi school of thought said in a joint statement following the meeting in Islamabad on Monday.
Wafaqul Madaris – an umbrella of Islamic seminaries belonging to mostly Deobandi school of thought – organised the meeting. The scholars condemned the ongoing violence in the country and expressed grief over the loss of innocent lives.
Sources privy to the meeting told The Express Tribune that the participants also decided to establish individual contacts with the government and the homegrown Taliban in an attempt to bring them to the negotiating table.
“The reckless use of force and bloodshed is not a solution to any problem,” concurred the scholars at the meeting presided over by Wafaqul Madaris President Maulana Saleemullah Khan. “Violent attacks are killing and maiming innocent civilians in different parts of the country – which is a matter of grave concern.”
They, however, expressed satisfaction over the willingness of both the government and the Taliban to pursue dialogue. “This is the only way to unite the nation on a single platform and fight external conspiracies,” they said in the statement.
Two factions of politico-religious Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maulana Samiul Haq, are already making efforts to broker a peace deal between the government and the Taliban. Their efforts were prompted by last month’s all-party conference where major political groups supported the dialogue option.
However, the recent surge in attacks called the government’s strategy into question. Interestingly, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan – the outlawed group responsible for most bloodshed in the country – denied involvement in most of these attacks.
The participants of Monday’s meeting claimed that some forces were trying to create chaos and confusion to sabotage the embryonic peace process. They, however, did not name these ‘forces’.
Attendees included Mufti-i-Azam Pakistan Mufti Rafi Usmani, Mufti Taqi Usmani and Wafaqul Madaris Secretary General Qari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhri.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2013.
COMMENTS (12)
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Those people who think killling innocent humans for their own sake or even Islamic sake is allowed cannot be given government at any cost. Is this what Islamic system of caliphate meant for (as they thinks)?
@ the Skunk
Absolutely agree with you. These cerlics provided fuel and ignited the fire in the name of "Jihad" now when their own faces are being burnt they are crying fowl. The are not to be trusted. They are responsible for all the mess and now should sit back and leave the nation to find a solution.
What has happened to the army is beyond the extent of my comprehension. The civilians are making a bigger mess of this country because of their incapacity to do any good except for themselves. When have the mullahs ever done any positive or practical good for the community except screaming at the top of their lungs, "Kafir and Jihad." Everybody is a damn fool except them. No trusting them by any iota of weight or shortness of length and width. Tread steadily by the rationale of your own intelligence and styrength of your ability. Salams
Is it me or does the statement looks like they are treating these murderous thugs as equals of the government?
@Umer: You think this is Jihad? Think again. Don't be stupid. Times for Jihad are gone anyway.
@aqib:
"The names of the clerics are not familiar".
That tells us your lack of knowledge rather than the Ulemas' lack "clout over them". Just because the name of someone is not familiar to you doesn't mean he/she is not known by the world. Just because we are ignorant doesn't mean the world is also.
“We strongly believe that dialogue is the only way to bring the country out of the civil war-like situation,” There no such as a 'the country' as far as mullah-inspired political islam is concerned, there is just an ummat al-Islamiyah. So talibans don't care.
I could have sworn they've repeatedly stated the requirements for that outcome. Those requirements are submission to their desires. How does that continue to go ignored?
"They, however, (CONVENIENTLY) did not name these forces"!!! Clerics want it both ways, condemn the violence BUT blame it all on "foreign conspiracies"!!! They must have given up on the usual "No Muslim can kill another Muslim" fantasy!
Then what about the concept of jihad and why is it taught to even young children even in schools? Seems jihad is OK when it suits clerics and not if otherwise.
The names of the clerics are not familiar, so it seems that these clerics (though belonging to the same sub-sect as the militants) might not have much clout over them.