KARACHI, July 10: An ulema convention has warned of ‘direct action’ through nationwide street protests if the government fails to stop the killings of religious scholars, and to expose the killers and those patronizing them within 15 days.

The statement was issued by Maulana Asad Thanvi, Qari Mohammad Usman, Mufti Mohammad Naeem, Mufti Usmanyar Khan and Maulana Omar Sadiq at a press conference after the convention, held under the auspices of the Wafaq al-Madaris al-Arabia Pakistan at Binnoria Lawn here on Sunday.

They said that more than 6,000 delegates from mosques, madressahs and other religious institutions across the country participated in the convention.

Describing the statement as the first step towards the direct action, the ulema said that the convention noted with deep concern that not only the target killings of ulema were being allowed by the government to go on, the killers were also being sheltered and the reports of investigations against them were deliberately being concealed.

The convention appealed to the International Court of Justice to take notice of the oppression that the religious scholars in Pakistan were being subjected to, and come out with support and cooperation to the religious institutions and seminaries in their rightful protest against the government.

Participants of the convention expressed their dismay over the government’s complete indifference to the killing of ulema one after the other as killers of none of the victims so far had been arrested or punished. Contrary to this, they pointed out, if a figure in the ruling clique was attacked, not only the culprit would be arrested within no time, but all conspiracies that might have been hatched for the attack in the past would also be exposed soon afterwards.

The ulema convention resolved that a countrywide protest would be launched as ulema could no more be befooled by the government in the name of investigation, which were nothing but delaying tactics.

The religious leaders told newsmen that ‘a hidden foreign hand’ could not be ruled out in the conspiracy to eliminate ulema.

Referring to the investigations into the killing of a large number of prominent ulema in the recent past, they said that the inordinate delay in making the inquiry reports public pointed to government’s involvement in the conspiracy.