Special Representative to the Prime Minister for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has appealed to all stakeholders to play their role for bringing about political and economic stability in the country. He was addressing a press conference along with Maulana Asadullah Farooq, Allam Zubair Abid, Maulana Tahir Akeel Awan, Allama Tahirul Hassan, Maulana Aslam Sadique and others at the Lahore Press Club, here on Sunday. Ashrafi, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), said that the current challenging situation of the country was demanding from all political and religious parties to reach consensus on a way out to steer the country out of crises. He asked all stakeholders to create a congenial environment and sit together at a table to remove their differences and put the country on the road to progress. He said that the PUC was playing its role for inter-sect and inter-faith harmony across the globe, adding that it would continue its efforts to establish the system of Khilafat-e-Rashida in the country, as it was based on justice and equality. Ashrafi said that elections would prove useless if political parties did not introduce electoral reforms and make it mandatory for all contesting parties to accept the results of elections open-heartedly. He raised the question that what would be the solution if someone did not accept the mandate of any winning party in the elections after spending of huge funds on the process. People had no money and they were already overburdened due to inflation and the International Monetary Fund’s conditions, he said. The chairman announced that the PUC had decided not to contest elections until and unless the misuse of money was strictly prohibited in it, but it would extend full support to their like-minded people who would fight the elections in their respective constituencies across the country. Terming Nankana Sahib incident disappointing, he said they should also devise a mechanism to deal with increasing polarisation and extremism in society. If someone was accused of desecration of the Holy Quran or blasphemy of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), he should be punished by a court of law, he asserted, adding that nobody would be given free hand to be complainant, judge and executioner. He complained that as the holy month of Ramazan was approaching, the price of daily-use items had started rising in the country which was totally against the law and Shariah. He said there was a religious decree issued by all schools of thought that those who were involved in hoarding of public-use items for the sake of extra profit, were earning Haram money. He said that the PUC paid glowing tribute to the martyrs of security forces who rendered their lives in Karachi police chief’s office attack, adding that a PUC delegation, under the supervision of Maulana Ubiad Ullah, would visit the residences of martyrs for offering condolences to the bereaved families.