KARACHI, Dec 17: French Consul-General Pierre Seillan has said that during his posting of over three years in Pakistan he has found Islam to be a peace-loving religion.

He expressed these views on Monday during a visit to the Jamaat-i-Islami’s office Idara Noor-i-Haq.

The French diplomat met JI deputy chief, Prof Ghafoor Ahmad, Mohammad Hussain Mehanti, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and Muzaffar Ahmad Hashmi and exchanged with them views on the current situation in the country and the coming elections.

Mr Seillan said that contrary to the negative propaganda in the West about Islam and the Jamaat-i-Islami, he had found Islam a peaceful religion and the JI as an organisation of educated and conscious people.

Speaking about the JI’s decision of a boycott of the elections, Prof Ghafoor told the diplomat that his party had always participated in elections and their candidates had even filed nomination papers for the coming polls but as the government had refused to accept our suggestions, the JI was left with no option but to call it quits.

He said that their demands included constitution of an impartial election commission and caretaker government; an independent judiciary and media; and the release of all political workers.