PESHAWAR: The Jamiat Ahle Hadith (JAH) has condemned the Dec 16 terrorist attack on Army Public School Peshawar and said seminaries had nothing to do with the incident and therefore, the government shouldn’t take action against them.

JAH central chief Abu Turab told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday that an organised propaganda had been unleashed against seminaries though there existed no evidence of their involvement in the school attack.

Flanked by provincial chief of the party Maulana Fazlur Rehman Madni and general secretary Dr Zakir Shah, he said the seminaries registered by Wafaqul Madaris had no link with ‘jihadi training centres.’

“In case anyone has solid evidence against seminaries, it should be made public and in that case, religious parties will not object to the police’s action,” he said.

JAH says seminaries have nothing to do with school attack

The JAH leader said seminaries were being defamed in an organised manner to please the Western world.

He said his party was not opposed to the registration of seminaries by the government and that it was the duty of the government to identify the people and institutions, which were involved in terrorist acts in the country in anyway.

Abu Turab urged religious parties to forge unity to serve the religion in a befitting manner and play an effective role in restoring peace in the country.

He also condemned the publication of sacrilegious sketches in a French magazine and declared it an ‘extremely condemnable’ act.

The JAH leader said it was the duty of the French government to take action against the cartoonist as well as the magazine’s printer and publisher over sacrilegious sketches as it was not journalism and rather it’s terrorism in the garb of freedom of expression.

He said no one could be allowed to play with religious sentiments of anyone and that blasphemers should be given exemplary punishment so that no one could repeat blasphemy in future.

On the occasion, Maulana Madni alleged that India, Israel and other anti-Islam forces were behind the killing of Muslims and the growing acts of terrorism in the country.

He said it was the duty of religious parties to join hands and make an effective policy to counter Zionist forces.

Maulana Madni said the JAH completely supported the action of government and security forces against terrorists.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2015

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