Demands end to vilification campaign against seminaries. STOCK IMAGE
Through a declaration issued on Friday after an international peace conference, the council urged the government to refer cases of killings of various religious figures, students, teachers and doctors to military courts for speedy trial.
The PUC Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Ashrafi, who presided over the conference, said that terrorism must not be linked with the religion and seminaries, as terrorists have nothing to do with Islam, which stands for peace, love, humility and humanity.
The declaration urged the people to identify mosques and seminaries involved in promoting extremist tendencies and hatred.
It urged the government to avoid interfering in the affairs of neighbouring countries besides banning militant and armed outfits, as well as calling for revisiting the foreign policy.
It condemned the massacre of students at the Army Public School in Peshawar calling it a savagery and barbarism. The conference demanded awarding Nisha-e-Haider to the fallen principal, the teachers and the students.
It also expressed deep sorrow and anguish over the deadly incidents in France urging the religious leaders of all faiths to play their role in promoting tolerance and harmony in the world.
The conference also demanded equal rights to non-Muslims as enshrined in the constitution.
While rejecting reports of involvement of 10 per cent seminaries in terrorism acts, it said that if a single seminary was found involved in promoting terrorism, the Wafaqul Madaris al-Arabia and the Wafaqul Masajid Pakistan will take action against them.
The conference said that the PUC welcomed media, ambassadors and NGOs to visit seminaries to ascertain what was being taught there.
Maulana Dr Ahmed Ali Siraj, Hafiz Muhammad Amjad, Maulana Nauman Hashir, Maulana Abdul Hameed Sabri, Maulana Muhammad Anwar, Maulana Naib Khan Subhani and Maulana Saeedullah also addressed the conference.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2015.
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