BAJAUR: Religious scholars on Saturday called upon teachers and students of seminaries to play their role in promotion of harmony and tolerance in society.

They were addressing the annual convocation of a seminary in Khar here.

Besides students and teachers of seminaries, elders, political and religious figures were also in attendance.

Certificates were handed over to hundreds of students of the seminary.

Teachers of Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi Maulana Iftikhar Ahmad Azami and Mufti Zakaria Iqbal, former MNA Maulana Mohammad Sadiq, JUI-F Bajaur chief Maulana Abdur Rasheed, religious scholar Maualna Fazal Haq, administrator of Jamia Madinatul Uloom Maulana Zakirullah and others addressed the event.

They said seminaries were the fortresses of Islam playing a significant role in promoting brotherhood and tolerance in society. However, they noted that some elements had defamed the image of seminaries.

The speakers categorically said seminaries never promoted violence of any kind.

They asked the seminary teachers and students to ignore such baseless allegations and propaganda and focus their attention on spreading the message of peace and brotherhood among people.

They also called upon religious leaders to shun differences and work for country’s unity.

The ulema slammed both the federal and provincial governments for not providing any financial assistance to the seminaries in the tribal district. They recalled that the provincial government had promised two years ago to provide facilities to the seminaries, but to no avail.

The speakers called upon parents to enroll their children in seminaries.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2021