ISLAMABAD: Religious leaders belonging to different schools of thought condemned the massacre of Ismaili community members in Karachi and blamed the government for failing to stop faith-based killings in the country.

“The National Action Plan (NAP) was agreed upon by the whole nation only to flush out terrorism from the country,” Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said. “But the government failed to implement it, which emboldened the terrorists.”

He was speaking at an ‘Itehad-i-Ummah conference’ organised by Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) here on Thursday.

The participants expressed solidarity with the victims of the bus attack. The PUC also decided to observe May 15 as a ‘protest day’ against terrorism and extremism in the country. A declaration passed at the conference termed the killing of innocent people a violation of the teachings of Quran.

Speakers at religious conference say govt’s failure to implement NAP emboldened terrorists

Without naming any group or party, the participants of the conference decried ‘certain’ groups for trying to create controversies over the sanctity and security of Harmain-i-Sharifain besides spreading terrorism and extremism in the name of Islam.

The conference was attended by representatives of various religious groups, including members of non- Muslim communities. The declaration condemned some elements in Pakistan for trying to turn Harmain-i-Sharifain and Yemen issue into a Shia-Sunni controversy.

Speaking on the occasion, President Azad Kashmir Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob said those spreading extremism and terrorism in the name of Islam were actually anti-Islam elements. He said no compromise would be made on the sanctity and security of Harmain-i-Sharifain. “Being Muslims we will not hesitate to sacrifice our lives to ensure the security and sanctity of the holy land.”

General secretary Shia Ulema Council Allama Arif Waheedi said the killing of the Ismaili community members in Karachi was the result of the government’s negligence as it failed to implement the National action Plan.

Vice-president Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan and the chairperson Sunni Itehad Council Pir Mehfooz Mashhadi said women were targeted in the Safoora Goth massacre. “Islam does not allow attacks on women even in the battlefield but the terrorists targeted women and shot them in the head,” he added.

Pakistan Church Council president Bishop Izraeel Samoel underlined the need for speeding up efforts to promote interfaith dialogue and harmony. “But the important thing is to ensure supremacy of the law to eliminate terrorism and extremism from the country,” he added.

Meanwhile, in another development, Wafaqul Madaris al Shia condemned the terror attack on the members of the Ismaili community. It said the government should take note of its own actions.

“Terrorists have been encouraged as the government allowed banned groups to bring out rallies and move around freely across the country,” said Allama Qazi Niaz Hussain Naqvi, a leader of the Wafaq.

He demanded the government and security agencies break the network of terror groups involved in sectarian killings.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2015

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