KARACHI, May 31: Ulema belonging to different schools of thought met Governor Ishratul Ibad and Federal Religious Affairs Minister Ijazul Haq at the Governor House on Monday.

Expressing profound grief over the tragic incident, the ulema pledged to contribute to the efforts for maintenance of peace in the city. They expressed hope for meaningful steps and early arrest of culprits involved in the assassination of Mufti Shamzai and those involved in Hyderi mosque blast.

The participants of the meeting were unanimous that such incidents certainly had no relevance to sectarianism and the only objective was to spoil the peaceful atmosphere of Karachi and sabotage the efforts, the government was making for promoting investment here.

The ulema made a collective appeal to people to remain peaceful and tolerant as well as to keep vigil around them so that terrorists could not find any opportunity of creating lawlessness. They appealed to Khateebs to preach love with people, peace and brotherhood during their sermons.

On the occasion, the participants of the meeting offered fateha for the departed soul of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai. Addressing the meeting, Dr Ibad said that assassination of Mufti Shamzai deserved any amount of condemnation. It was a big tragedy and the government would spare no effort to take the terrorists to task.

He said that terrorists targeting the mosques and ulema did not deserve to be called human being, least the Muslim. He asked the ulema to show right path to distracted people. He told them to give the teaching of Ittehad Bainul Muslimeen and thwart the machinations of anti-state elements who were trying to create sectarianism.

The governor thanked the organizers of Binori Town for their cooperation with the government and particularly their statements that elements resorting to violence and disturbance had no connection with the students of Binori Town and followers of Mufti Shamzai.

He said that after Hyderi mosque tragedy, the mischievous elements created violence at Sohrab Goth and Guru Mandar and tried for religious and sectarian clashes which were thwarted with the cooperation of ulema and people.

Dr Ibad said that after the assassination of Mufti Shamzai, the same anti-social elements attempted to achieve their nefarious designs and objectives. He made it clear that there was no shia-sunni divide and said that the government would take stringent action against such elements.

He said the government and administration was working with all sincerity and action would be taken if anyone from government or administration was found responsible for negligence.

The governor said that 171 terrorists had been arrested during the last 18 months. He said that courts had awarded punishments to 71 terrorists, out of whom 44 were awarded life term.

Federal Minister Ijazul Haq said that assassination of Mufti Shamzai had plunged the entire city into grief. He said the anti- state elements wanted fights from mosque to mosque and madressah to madressah.

However, he maintained that the fight against terrorists would continue. In order to foil the designs of such elements, he said, the cooperation of ulema was vital. Ijazul Haq said that there remained no government and opposition on such incidents, as these were all national tragedies.

He thanked the leader of the opposition and other opposition leaders who adopted a positive attitude and preached tolerance and patience. The minister said that as soon as he heard about the assassination of Mufti Shamzai he immediately returned to Karachi while he had left for Islamabad on Sunday morning.

Sindh Minister for Religious Affairs Irfan Gul Magsi, Adviser on Home Affairs Aftab Shaikh, Adviser Information Salahuddin Haider, Chief Secretary Dr Mutawakkal Kazi, Additional Chief Secretary Home Syed Anwar Hyder, Secretary Religious Affairs Qabool Shaikh, DG Rangers Maj Gen Javed Zia, IG Police, CCPO Karachi and other officials were also present at meeting. -APP