Conspiracies against Pak Army to be foiled: Ashrafi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi has said any organization, group or individual can’t be allowed to carry out a campaign against the Pakistan Army and if the conspiring elements don’t stop their nefarious activities, they will be held accountable at the public level.

“Political leaders and workers should not cross the redline as specified by the law and Constitution and we want to give a categorical message to all those who aim at making a division between the armed forces of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan and hatching conspiracies for mutiny in the armed forces,” he said while addressing a press conference here on Wednesday along with Maulana Nauman Hashir, Maulana Tahir Aqeel Awan, Maulana Qasim Qasmi, Maulana Zulfiqar, Sahibzada Hafiz Saqib Munir and Maulana Abubakar Sabri.

Ashrafi announced that August 12 would be observed all over Pakistan as “Yaum-e-Dua” to express solidarity with Pak Army martyrs. “Our religion, our country and our army are the redline for all of us and any organization, group or individual can’t be allowed to carry out a campaign against the armed forces of Pakistan,” he said, adding that patience and tolerance demonstrated by the chief of army staff had never been witnessed in the past. “Some elements are taking this patience as weakness and hatching conspiracies to divide the armed forces internally.”

Ashrafi said India, Israel and anti-Islam forces wanted to divide the armed forces of Pakistan like they did in Libya, Iraq and Yemen, but any such thing couldn’t happen in Pakistan and all conspiracies would be foiled. In response to a question, he said the statement of Shahbaz Gill had not been supported by any side. “Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, being the chief minister of the largest province of Pakistan and allied partner of the PTI, also condemned his statement,” he said.

He thanked Ulema and Mashaykh for extending cooperation to ensure peace during Muharram-ul-Haraam. He said the Paigham-e-Pakistan draft had been signed by 15,000 Ulema and Mashaykh including Sheikh-ul-Azhar and Imam-e-Kaaba. The Paigham-e-Pakistan draft amplified the message not to leave one’s sect and intervene in others’ sect. He said August 11 would be observed to express solidarity with the minorities. “Being Muslims, it is our responsibility to take care of non-Muslim minorities. During the last two years, not a single case was registered to ascertain that the blasphemy law was misused,” he said.