Daily Times

The Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) on Friday strongly condemned the tragic incident in Swat emphasizing that neither Islamic Shariah nor the Constitution and laws of Pakistan permit the killing or immolating any human being.

This was stated in a joint statement by PUC Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Allama Abdul Haq Mujahid, Maulana Muhammad Rafiq Jami, Maulana Muhammad Shafi Qasmi, Maulana Nauman Hashir, Maulana Asad Zakariya Qasmi, Maulana Asadullah Farooq, Allama Tahir Hassan, Maulana Tahir Aqeel Awan, Maulana Aziz Akbar Qasmi, Maulana Abu Bakr Hameed Sabri, and others.

The Council expressed deep regret over the increasing frequency of such incidents, highlighting that the measures taken against the perpetrators have been insufficient. The Council believed that it is the responsibility of the state and judiciary to administer punishment to an accused of blasphemy acts or discretion of the holy book. The Council condemned the ongoing trend of individuals taking the law into their own hands, acting as judge, jury, and executioner, as wholly unacceptable. The Council urged the government and all state institutions, particularly the police and judiciary, to handle such cases decisively and without any compromise, vested interests, or fear.