KARACHI: An Ulema and Mashaikh convention organised by the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) on Wednesday denounced all forms of terrorism and violence against Muslims and non-Muslims in the name of religion and called upon the government to deal with terrorists with an iron hand.

The convention also urged the government to arrest and punish those actually responsible for recent attacks in the interior of Sindh and ‘extrajudicial killings’ of youths in Karachi.

Allama Tahir Ashrafi, the chief of the PUC, organised the convention and National Peace Conference, which was attended by people belonging to different walks of life and representatives of over 30 political and religious parties.

A joint communiqué containing a code of conduct signed by representatives of political and religious parties was read out by Allama Ashrafi.

He said that the peace convention expressed its deep concern over the increasing incidents of torture and extremism in the country and appealed to all religious and political parties and people belonging to any religion or sect to respect each other’s views. All citizens, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, had equal rights and any kind of injustice in the name of religion was against the Constitution, it added.

Allama Ashrafi said that those involved in sectarian violence and terrorism and attacks on places of worship of non-Muslims, were not well-wishers of Islam and their acts brought a bad name to Pakistan.

He said that the participants of the peace convention unanimously condemned all acts that caused scare and panic among non-Muslims.

He said that such elements were working against the Constitution of Pakistan and they should be taken to task.

About the blasphemy law, the convention agreed that stern punishment should be handed down to any blasphemer, but the law should not be used for victimising innocent people.

Allama Ashrafi said that the convention expressed deep concern over ‘enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing’ of youths in Karachi and called upon the government to order an impartial inquiry to unmask the elements involved in such acts.

He said that the participants of the convention agreed that the use of loudspeaker should be restricted to Azan and sermons in Arabic.

MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar spoke against the Pakistan Protection Ordinance and said that the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) and Jamaat-i-Islami were with the MQM in opposing the PPO in parliament.