A delegation of religious scholars and ulema called upon Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, and offered their full support to the government in its drive to eradicate extremism, terrorism, and sectarianism within the country.

The delegation comprised Chairman Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Mufti Muneebur Rehman, Sunni Ittehad Council chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Allama Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi and others.

The meeting, which took place at the Prime Minister's Office in Islamabad, was also attended by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Dr Noorul Haq Qadri, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi among others.

The delegation also assured its complete support to the government in the country's social and economic development.

They expressed the firm view that religious scholars and ulema all across the nation not only reject the baseless propaganda against Muslims but also condemn elements that ruin the name of Islam to achieve their despicable objectives.

During the meeting, discussions were also held on the government's initiatives aimed at bringing improvements to the education system as well as the registration of madressahs across the country. The delegation assured the prime minister of their utmost cooperation in this regard.

The prime minister apprised the delegation of the developments so far on the economic front, eradication of corruption and social welfare of the people brought about through specific government programmes.

Prime Minister Khan said that the establishment of peace and the safeguarding of people's lives and property were the foremost priorities of the government.

The premier said that the country faces a myriad of challenges but the government's focus is to bring the economy back on track.

He further said that to achieve progress, it is necessary to defeat the extremist elements within the society, and to that end, "the government looks to the ulema and religious scholars to play their part."s

The prime minister identified the different educational systems within the country as the cause of the divide between people and stressed on the need for a unified educational system.

"With this, not only will a national unity emerge, but students graduating from madressahs will also be presented with the same opportunities as those graduating from any other institute," he said.

The delegation appreciated the prime minister's measures taken for the uplifting of the downtrodden segments of society and expressed their gratitude to the government for the inclusion of their input in matters of national importance.

Discussing the recent terror attack on mosques in New Zealand, the ulema noted that the incident had not been pinned on any particular religion. They asserted that neither does terrorism have a religion nor is it appropriate to link it to a particular faith.

The group of scholars paid tribute to the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her response and treatment of the Muslim community in the wake of the attack.