A wide spectrum of religious scholars from across Pakistan pledged full support to the armed forces during the National Ulama Mashaikh Conference held at the Convention Centre in Islamabad on Friday.
Speakers representing various sects praised the military leadership and emphasised the need for unity between political and military institutions, 24NewsHD TV channel reported.
Addressing the Ulema, Mufti Abdul Rahim, Rector of Jamia-tur-Rasheed, said the political and military leadership were working together in a manner consistent with the Constitution and Islamic principles, arguing that the nation should be grateful for such cohesion.
He called on scholars to confront extremist ideologies and warned that Khawarij in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan continued to threaten national security. He also urged clerics to caution Afghanistan over the killing of innocent Pakistanis “in the name of Islam”.
Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi of the Pakistan Ulema Council said that while the army defends the country’s borders, scholars are responsible for safeguarding its ideological foundations.
He claimed that three million seminary students were ready to respond to the call of the Ulema and the armed forces, adding that Pakistan had recently secured a victory through “unity between the people and the military”.
Allama Shabbir Hassan Meesami of the Shia Ulema Council condemned propaganda against the armed forces, while Allama Ziaullah Shah Bukhari of Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith credited what he termed a historic victory to the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Pir Hasan Haseebur Rehman reaffirmed that scholars stood with the army at every step for the protection of Islam and Pakistan, and suggested that incorporating the “Paigham-e-Pakistan” narrative into law could significantly aid counterterrorism efforts.
The conference concluded with a unified declaration of solidarity with the armed forces and strong praise for the country’s military leadership.
