Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has said that the second “Message of Islam’ conference will be held in Islamabad on April 12th.

Addressing a press conference at Jamia Mehmoodia, Faisalabad on Wednesday, he said the PUC fully supports Operation Radd-ul-Fassad, and urged political and religious organisations to support the operation in order to eliminate terrorism from the country.

On the occasion, hundreds of ulemas announced their intention to join the PUC and resolved to carry out the struggle to annihilate terrorism, extremism, and sectarian violence.

The PUC chairman also visited scores of seminaries and mosques in Faisalabad and addressed a press conference at Jamia Riaz-ul-Jannah and Jamia Mehmoodia. Speaking on the occasion, Ashrafi said, “The PUC has constituted a ‘Dar-ul-Afta’ – decree centre – in Lahore to contain the misuse of religious decrees.”

The PUC, he said, is a united and cohesive organisation and no one can create divisions in the council. “The PUC is registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan with Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi as its chairman and there is no division within the PUC and it does not own any sub-organisation as claimed by Sahibzada Zahid Mehmood Qasmi.”

He added: “Some banned outfits and extremist organisations have attempted to hijack the PUC, but dedicated representatives and members of the PUC had foiled all such bids.” He claimed that 197 of 200 members of the PUC’s Central Executive Council had reposed their confidence in him as the council’s chairman.

Ashrafi urged the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Interior Ministry and other law enforcement agencies to take strict action against elements responsible for circulating blasphemous content on social media. He believed enemies of Pakistan were trying to create chaos and anarchy in the country by circulating sacrilegious content on social media.

Maulana Ayub Safdar, Mufti Ziaud Din Madni, Maulana Shafi Qasmi, Maulana Saad Ullah Ludhyanvi, Maulana Ashfaq Patafi, Maulana Abdul Qayyum, Maulana Amjad Mehmood Muaviya, Mian Irshad, Maulana Habibur Rehman, Qari Muhamamd Shafiq Anjum, Rana Kafeel, Dr Khalid, Maulana Umair Gormani, Maulana Tayyab Gormani, Maulana Muhamamd Shakeel Qasmi and other notables were also present.