The military released a statement on Friday stating that General Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), found it unacceptable for any institution, group, or militia to employ force or engage in armed activity outside of the state.
During a meeting at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi with esteemed Islamic scholars from various schools of thought, the army chief made these statements.
Without regard to differences in religion, province, tribe, language, ethnicity, sectarianism, or any other factor, Pakistan is the shared patrimony of all Pakistanis. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) cited the COAS as saying, “Use of force and armed action by any militia, entity, or group other than the state is unacceptable.”
COAS General Syed Asim Munir meets Islamic Scholars 🇵🇰
Leading Islamic Scholars of all schools of thought interacted with General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at GHQ.
Ulema and Mashaikh unanimously condemned extremism, terrorism and sectarianism and… pic.twitter.com/saVqY3iZTv
— Pakistan Strategic Forum (@ForumStrategic) November 17, 2023
All of the Islamic scholars denounced extremism, terrorism, and sectarianism and promised to keep supporting the government’s and security forces’ tireless efforts to establish stability, tolerance, and peace in the nation.
They emphasized that Islam is a religion of harmony and peace and that any warped and twisted interpretations of religion made by certain groups serve their own agendas and have nothing to do with the teachings of Islam.
The head of the army praised the “Paigham-e-Pakistan” fatwa issued by religious scholars, which he said nullifies false propaganda spread by extremists and terrorists. He also urged the scholars to propagate and follow the fatwa in letter and spirit and to avoid internal divisions.
COAS denoted the role of ulema in guiding youngsters toward character development and an understanding of the Qur’an and Sunnah in addition to other academic knowledge and technical abilities.
According to General Munir, there is no room for prejudice or aggressive behavior toward anyone, especially when it comes to minorities and weaker groups within society.
The government’s actions to harden the state, such as the battle against electricity theft, the introduction of a one-document regime, the repatriation of illegal foreigners, and anti-smuggling and anti-hoarding measures, were unanimously approved by the forum.
It also called for Afghanistan to take decisive action to allay Pakistan’s worries and fully recognized Pakistan’s stance on terrorism originating in Afghanistan.
The forum also voiced its sorrow over the continued violence in Gaza and the crimes against humanity being done against the poor people living there.
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