Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir said on Friday that the use of force and armed action by any militia, entity, or group other than the state was unacceptable, the military’s media wing stated.
The COAS passed these remarks in a meeting with Islamic scholars (Ulema o Mashaikh) of all schools of thought at the General Headquarters (GHQ), Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan (ISPR) said.
“Pakistan belongs to all Pakistanis without any religious, provincial, tribal, linguistic, ethnic, sectarian or any other distinction. Use of force and armed action by any militia, entity or group other than State is unacceptable,” Army chief was quoted as saying in the ISPR statement.
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During the meeting, Ulema and Mashaikh unanimously condemned extremism, terrorism and sectarianism and pledged their continued support for untiring efforts of the state and security forces for bringing tolerance, peace and stability in the country, it added.
“They underscored that Islam is a religion of peace and harmony and any skewed and distorted interpretations of religion by certain entities is for their vested interests only and has nothing to do with Islamic teachings.
“COAS, while lauding ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan’ Fatwa by religious scholars to nullify misleading propaganda disseminated by extremists and terrorists, called upon Ulema o Mashaikh for its propagation and implementation in letter and spirit and shun internal schisms,” the statement read.
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Army chief also signified the role of Ulema in harnessing youth towards understanding of Quran and Sunnah and character building alongside other academic knowledge and technical skills.
There is no space for intolerance and extreme behavior by any entity against anyone, particularly against minorities and vulnerable segments of the society, he maintained.
According to the statement, the forum unanimously supported the government’s measures to harden the state, including repatriation of illegal foreigners, implementation of One Document Regime, anti-smuggling, and hoarding measures and anti-power theft drive. It also fully acknowledged Pakistan’s position and concerns on terrorism emanating from Afghan soil and urged serious actions by Afghanistan to address Pakistan’s concerns.
The forum also expressed anguish on the ongoing conflict in Gaza and atrocities being committed against hapless people of Gaza and termed them as crimes against humanity, ISPR shared.
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