Ulema belonging to different schools of thought Saturday strongly condemned kidnapping of Chinese nationals by Lal Masjid students in Islamabad. Maulana Hidayatullah Pasroori of Jamaat Ahl-e-Sunnat, Kunwar Muhammad Siddique and Dr Aurang Zeb of Jamaat-e-Islami, Khurshid
Abbas Gardezi of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Sami group), Basharat Abbas Qureshi of Tehrik-e-Islami, Qari Muhammad Mian of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan and Dr Muhammad Arif of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rahman group) have strongly condemned in unequivocal terms the kidnapping of the Chinese.
They observed that China is our time-tested friend and any crime against its people is highly condemnable. It is also against diplomatic norms to harm and harass any foreign national who is our guest in Pakistan. These religious scholars said Islam does not allow any individual to impose injunctions of Islam on foreign nationals or kidnap them for any purpose.
They said such acts would only smear our image in the eyes of foreign countries. Moreover, such acts would eclipse our ideal relations with our Chinese friends, they observed. These Ulema urged the Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa administration to release the Chinese kidnapees forthwith as Islam prohibits kidnapping of even foreign nationals or non-Muslims. Rather, it is our duty to protect them, they added.
Meanwhile, chairman, Khidmat Insaniat Party (KIP), Muhammad Salim Leghari, condemned the kidnapping of Chinese nationals in severest terms and said Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa people are perverts who are hell-bent upon defaming Islam as well as Pakistan in the comity of nations.