KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday urged ulema of different schools of thought to promote sectarian harmony and not allow enemies to take undue advantage of our mistakes.

“We have been living and respecting each other for centuries and now we have to revive those traditions based on mutual understanding, respect and harmony,” he added.

The chief minister said this while presiding over two different meetings of ulema here at CM House.

The meetings were attended by provincial Ministers Saeed Ghani and Nasir Shah, Adviser on Law Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, DG Rangers Major General Omer Bukhari, IG Sindh Mushtaq Mahar and other officials.

The Shia ulema who attended the meeting include Syed Razi Jaffar, Allama Furqan Haider Abidi, Maulana Baqir Hussain Zaidi, Maulana Nazir Taqvi, Syed Shabbar Zaidi, Sibte Raza, and others.

The Sunni ulema who met the chief minister in another meeting were Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Mufti Taqi Usmani, Maulana Sarwat Aijaz Qadri, Mufti Abid Mubarak Madani, Mufti Naeem Jan Naeemi, Allama Pir Syed Muzaffar Shah, Allama Ashraf Gormani, Allama Liaquat Azhari and Maulana Rehman Amjad Nomani.

The chief minister said that some unscrupulous elements were trying to create sectarian disharmony in the province for the last many days. “We all have to demonstrate unity, fraternity and tolerance to fail such move which is aimed at destabilising the country and we all will not allow this.”

Murad Ali Shah said that the code of conduct for Ashura and for Chehlum had already been agreed in different official meetings, therefore “we have to abide by it”.

“Our ulema have to guide their followers in true letter and spirit,” he said.

The ulema assured the chief minister of their support and cooperation.

It was also agreed that anyone found involved in fomenting unrest and hatred would not be supported by any school of thought. “The law will take its course to deal with such a person(s),” the chief minister said.

Mr Shah thanked the ulema of Shia and Sunni schools of thought for cooperating with the government in promoting peace and harmony in society.

The ulema assured the chief minister that they were with the government for promoting sectarian harmony.

“We will not allow anybody to create friction in our society,” the Shia and Sunni ulema assured the government.

The chief minister pointed out that in the past ‘conspirators’ used wall chalking to create misunderstandings and hatred among the people of different schools of thought but now they were using social media. “They are our enemies and are playing in the hands of enemies and we have to identify them,” he said and added that we have to understand their designs.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2020