Daily Times

MUZAFFARABAD: Speakers at a conference here maintained that sectarian harmony was the guarantee to a stable and prosperous Pakistan, as well as a way forward to promote peace, tolerance, unity and brotherhood in the country and thwart the nefarious designs of the enemies.

The Paigham-e-Pakistan Conference was chaired by Member AJK Legislative Assembly and Chief of Dargah Basahan Sharif Peer Ali Raza Bukhari. AJK President Sardar Masood Ahmed Khan was chief guest on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Masood said Paigham-e-Pakistan was a historic and comprehensive document which would go a long way in eradication of militancy, extremism and sectarianism and establishment of peace and tranquility in the society. He hailed the role played by ulema by getting united in the best interest of the country as well as the Muslim Ummah. He urged the religious scholars to draft their recommendations to make Piagham-e-Pakistan initiative more effective and productive.

The AJK president said social justice was the top priority of the present government, adding that every segment of the society, including religious scholars, should play its due role to achieve this objective.

Sardar Masood said the AJK was the only region in Pakistan which was free of any sectarian tensions and hatred. “It is the only place where everyone is following his own beliefs without any interference from others. Nobody issues decrees against the other sects here,” he said, and stressed that the whole nation should portray the same picture of unity, brotherhood, harmony and tolerance.

AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir said no country can progress without peace and stability, adding that no nation can survive without a strong economy. “Our enemies want us to divide on religious, sectarian and ethnic lines to make us weaker. But, we will have to thwart their nefarious designs through unity,” he said, hoping that the people of Pakistan will never let such elements succeed in their ulterior motives.

He said the success of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was vital for the development of Pakistan. “Any failure in this regard will deprive Pakistan of a golden opportunity to stabilize its economy through unprecedented development and growth,” he warned, adding that everyone from Gilgit-Baltistan to Gwadar needs to shun petty differences and get united to make CPEC a complete success.

AJK Legislative Assembly Member Ali Raza Bukhari stressed the need for a concerted effort to disseminate the message of Paigham-e-Pakistan initiative among all segments of the society across the country. He said Islam was the religion of peace and that Pakistan was a peace-loving country, adding that the country was passing through a difficult phase and every individual was required to play his role for the development of Pakistan.

A unanimous resolution for integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan as well as Kashmir freedom movement was also adopted on the occasion.

Jamaat-e-Islami AJK former ameer Abdur Rasheed Turrabi, AJK Legislative Assembly Member Imtiaz Ahmed Siddiqui, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam AJK President Ubaidullah Farooqui, AJK Ulema Mashaikh Council Chairman Nazeer Hussain Gilani and Ittehad Tanzeemat-e-Madaris-e-Deeniya President Imtiaz Ahmed Abbasi also addressed the conference.

Published in Daily Times, October 20^th 2018.