Martyrs for Peace: JI, JUI-F rustle up separate peace conferences

The former plans to unite religious and political forces against terror.

PESHAWAR/ CHARSADDA/ MARDAN:

Two of the country’s frontline religious parties, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) are gearing up for separate peace conferences in the aftermath of the brazen Army Public School (APS) attack.

Not letting a date slip as yet, JI has announced it will hold its ‘Martyrs for Peace’ conference in January to honour those ruthlessly killed in the APS incident. The party has sent out invites to political forces across the province and plans to hold the conference in Peshawar.

JI political committee head Baharullah Khan told The Express Tribune so far Awami National Party (ANP), JUI-F, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have expressed the desire to join hands.

Baharullah said the conference will pay homage to the deceased and reaffirm everyone’s resolve against militancy.

“We have also invited slain APS principal Tahira Qazi’s husband, families of the martyred children and faculty of the school,” he said.

Khan said the conference is significant to the JI chief’s announcement of declaring 2015 as the ‘Year of Peace’.

Clouding reality

As JI plans to gather leaders across the political spectrum in the city, JUI-F has decided to stand by seminaries that have come under harsh criticism recently for fostering extremism.

In a bid to break stereotypes and express solidarity with the Peshawar victims, the party will hold a peace conference on January 15.

“APS attack aimed to tarnish the image of seminaries and religious circles,” said JUI-F provincial ameer Maulana Gul Nasib. He was addressing the Maulana Aziz Gul conference in Mardan on Sunday.

Nasib said it is illogical to slate all seminaries for promoting extremism, terming the sweeping generalisation part of a “larger conspiracy”. “Instead of shouldering responsibilities, the chief minister, inspector general of police and capital city police chief are hiding behind propaganda,” he alleged.

Meanwhile JUI-F MNA Maulana Gohar Shah warned against targeting religious seminaries as it will have “dire consequences”.

He was addressing a meeting of religious leaders in Charsadda on Sunday. Scholars, during their addresses, condemned the barbaric act of terror in Peshawar and denounced all elements and bodies involved in the incident. They condemned the harassment of seminary students and decided to fight against the expulsion of Afghan students from the seminaries.

Leaders demanded the district administration address their concerns before raiding mosque schools

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2014.