LAHORE, April 10: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has stressed the need for more consolidated efforts to eliminate sectarianism from society. “Sectarianism is venomous for any society and ulema are playing their role to end this menace but we need more objective efforts in this regard,” the chief minister said in his presidential remarks at the Provincial Seerat Conference here on Monday.

He regretted that the Muslims had not been able to project the principles of Islam in their true perspective. “That is why Islam is being presented globally as a religion of extremism. Islam is a religion of peace and there is no room in it for anyone to impose his or her ideology on others. The life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is the practical manifestation of Islamic teachings which give us a lesson of tolerance and moderation.”

Pervaiz Elahi urged the ulema to not only propagate the Islamic principles of tolerance and moderation but also follow these in their practical life.

“It is a matter of concern for us why these values of forgiveness and patience have almost vanished from our society,” he said.

Referring to importance of knowledge in Islam, the chief minister said without proper education young generation could not understand even Quran and the fundamental principles of Islam. The government, he said, was endeavouring for achieving 100 per cent literacy rate in the province.

Pervaiz Elahi announced that he would lay the foundation stone of the Seerat Academy next month which would be constructed in Lahore at a cost of Rs300 million.

He said the academy would start functioning in 2007. He said an auditorium having seating capacity for 700 people and a conference hall for 200 people would also be constructed in the academy where educational facilities for MA and Ph.D would be available to male and female students.

Later, the chief minister gave away awards to authors of best books on Seerat in Urdu and Punjabi.

Punjab Auqaf Minister Sahibzada Syed Saeedul Hassan Shah, CM’s Adviser Tahir Ashrafi, Auqaf Secretary Syed Raees Abbas Zaidi, Dr Ishaq Qureshi, Dr Zahoor Ahmad Azhar, Qari Hanif Jallandari, Hafiz Mufti Abdul Rasheed, Pir Asif Gillani and Allama Maqsood Qadri also spoke at the moot.