KARACHI: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said Pakistan has already suffered a lot due to regional prejudices and that’s why the world powers are keeping its economy and institutions, particularly defence, under pressure.

“Let us adopt the Islamic system which teaches us to maintain freedom and sovereignty. If we start journey on the road to Islamic polity, no power on earth can stop us from attaining real freedom,” he said while addressing an “Islam Zindabad conference” held under the auspices of the JUI-F at Jinnah Ground here on Thursday.

Maulana Fazl, who is also president of the recently revived Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), said Muslims and Islam were under attack and “one dictator” on the order of America had pushed Pakistan into the war on terrorism. He said a conspiracy was hatched to impose war on Saudi Arabia. “Iran is no more with us and calls India a brother country. Its president visits India twice a year. This situation requires us to ponder where we are being taken.”

The JUI-F chief said religious people were being stopped from becoming a political force in the country. “It’s a conspiracy by world powers and we have to foil it.”

JUI-F conference adopts over a dozen resolutions

Recalling Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s rule, he said ulema had played an important role in ensuring the inclusion of the objective resolution in the Constitution and sections about Tahaffuz-i-Namoos-i-Risalat. The MMA would ensure enforcement of rule of Quran and Sunnah in the country for which Pakistan was created, he added.

Maulana Fazl said Karachi was the economic hub of the country and a peaceful environment was a must to put the city on the road to progress. “We will restore its peace and protect all its citizens because only then its economy could improve.”

He said Pakistan was a reality and people wanted to see it as a sovereign country. “Likewise, we also want to see provinces to be masters of their resources. If we follow these principles, there will be no sense of deprivation among people and the country will remain united.”

He said religious forces had always rejected religious ethnicity, nationality and regional prejudices and all those living in Karachi were brothers and part of Islamic fraternity.

The conference adopted over a dozen resolutions calling upon the Sindh government to solve local bodies’ problems in Karachi and asking the National Database and Registration Authority to issue CNICs to Pukhtuns settled in Karachi. One of the resolutions called for making Sindhi a national language and appealed to the National Accountability Bureau and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take immediate notice of “murder of merit” in appointments in Sindh government departments. Another resolution demanded that the case of the murder of JUI leader Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro be tried in a military court.

Sindh JUI-F general secretary Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro conducted the proceedings of the conference.

Addressing the conference, former Senate deputy chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Hyderi called upon the people not to be afraid of foreign elements and maintain unity among them.

Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz-i-Khatm-i-Nubuwat chief Maulana Dr Abdul Razzaq Sikandar urged the ulema to unite.

JUP secretary general Shah Owais Noorani asked the CJP to take notice of the Baldia Town fire incident and May 12 tragedies and bring all the culprits to book.

Maulana Amjad and Qari Muhammad Usman of the JUI-F, Maulana Asad Bhutto of the Jamaat-i-Islami and Maulana Imeer Zaman also addressed the conference.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2018