KARACHI, Dec 14: Foreign Minister Mian Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on Sunday paid rich tributes to Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani for his contribution towards the inclusion of Islamic tenets in the 1973 constitution and for his services to Ummah.

The minister, who had come here to attend Soyem of Maulana Noorani, President of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan who died on Thursday, recalled his last meeting with the Maulana two days before his death.

Mian Manzoor Wattoo, a leader of the unified Muslim League, eulogized Maulana Noorani’s role in forging unity among the Ulema belonging to different schools of thought which, he said, greatly helped contain sectarianism in Punjab.

According to JUP leader Muhammad Hashim Siddiqui, Dastarbandi of the late Maulana’s son, Sahibzada Anas Noorani, was performed by Dr Rizwan Siddiqui in presence of many Ulema and eminent figures, including Mufti Jan Muhammad Naeemi, Dr Sahibzada Abul Khair Zubair, Maulana Muhammad Hussain Haqqani, Sahibzada Irfan Mash’hadi and Qari Zawwar Bahadur who also performed Dastarbandi later.

Earlier, Quran Khwani and Soyem was held from 9am to 3pm at Khusro Park in Clifton. Separate arrangement for women mourners was made at a place adjacent to the late Maulana’s residence.

Thousands of followers and JUP activists, besides MMA leaders Prof Ghafoor Ahmad, Maulana Asadullah Bhutto, Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui, and Abdul Sattar Afghani, attended the Soyem.

Meanwhile, a condolence meeting was held at Darul Uloom Amjadia with Sahibzada Rehan Amjad Nomani in the chair. Students and teachers of the institution paid glowing tributes to Maulana Noorani.

Speakers at the meeting said that Maulana Noorani was not only a brave religious scholar of repute, but also a high-calibre politician.

Allama Muhammad Ismail Ziai, Mukhtar Ahmad Quaderi, Allama Akramul Mustafa Qari Chishti were among the prominent figures at the meeting.