Daily Times

Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi on Monday called for public hanging of perpetrators involved in heinous crimes against women.

Addressing a news conference, Tahir Ashrafi, who is also chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), urged the chief justice of Pakistan and the prime minister to order a speedy trial of Noor Muqaddam murder and Usman Mirza cases.

He said the state is standing with the innocent victims of heinous crimes, and the justice system should be amended drastically to pave the way for prompt punishments of such culprits. He also urged parents to strive to bridge the ever-widening gap in their relationship with their children.

Ashrafi said terrorism in all its forms is prohibited in Islam, adding that he along with leading Ulema and religious scholars would start a countrywide journey from Wednesday for promoting interfaith harmony.

Commenting on the victory of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, he said the people of occupied Kashmir (IOJK) were jubilant on this victory. He hoped that the people of Kashmir would win the right to self-determination.

Discussing the foreign policy, he said Pakistan warmly welcomes Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud, who is coming to the country at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Ashrafi lauded Saudi Arabia for making excellent arrangements of Hajj and opening Umrah for pilgrims.

Responding to a question, he said religious scholars and Ulema had already agreed on the Paigham-e-Pakistan narrative.