LAHORE: A convention of Ulema and Mashaikh (religious scholars) held here on Sunday expressed its concern at various scandals surfacing on social media involving judges of higher courts and urged upon the prime minister to call a multi-party conference for devising a joint strategy on the issues being faced by the country.

A declaration issued at the end of the convention chaired by Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi demanded a thorough evaluation of the ‘audio leaks’ involving superior courts judges. It also demanded that facts be made public, saying the judiciary was facing many problems and the chief justice of Pakistan must resolve the issues at the earliest, as the institution was the highest and final forum for justice seekers.

Seeking solution to the political issues through mutual understanding and negotiation, it urged all political and religious parties to sacrifice their biases and interests for the sake of the country and find a solution to terrorism, extremism, economic and social problems, by sitting at negotiation table.

The declaration sought that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should call a multi-party conference and Imran Khan should also participate in it.

The convention demanded elections in the country as per the Constitution and law, and that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should fulfill its responsibilities in this regard. The clerics would not directly take part in the polls, but support the “like-minded” candidates and local officials of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) would inform the central leadership in this regard after mutual consultations.

It said the scholars and clerics across the country had been cooperating with the government and the security institutions of the country for peace, security and stability of Pakistan, and would continue to do so.

It blamed the “anti-state elements” for launching a campaign against the country’s security agencies to create divisions between the nation and the army, saying that similar abortive campaigns had also been run in the past.

The conference decided to hold the annual ‘Message of Islam Conference’ in Islamabad on March 28. Due to the month of Ramazan this year, the foreign guests would deliver virtual addresses, it decided.

The PUC expressed complete solidarity with the earthquake victims in Turkiye and Syria, and appealed to the international community, especially the Islamic world, to provide full assistance to the quake victims.

The council called upon all traders and provincial governments to take all possible measures to curb unnatural and unnecessary inflation before the arrival of Ramazan.

Allama Abdul Haq Mujahid, Maulana Muhammad Rafiq Jami, Maulana Asad Zakaria Qasmi, Maulana Nauman Hasher, Maulana Shafi Qasmi, Allama Zubair Abid, Maulana Asadullah Farooq, Maulana Haq Nawaz Khalid also attended the convention.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2023