The leadership of Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) has removed Tahir Ashrafi from the chairmanship of the body and cancelled his basic membership, saying the former chairman has kept foreign contracts secret.
This was revealed by the newly elected Chairman PUC Sahibzadah Zahid Mehmood Qasmi while addressing a press conference here on Monday. Qasmi is also a member of Islamic Ideology Council (IIC).
He said that the central executive body and the common body of PUC after reviewing the evidence of secret foreign contracts signed by Tahir Ashrafi, have unanimously dismissed him from the chairmanship and cancelled his basic membership of the council as well as its sub-organisations including Wafaq-ul-Masajid Pakistan, Ilm-o-Aman Foundation and Tahaffuz-e-Madaris-e-Diniya.
The PUC leadership strongly condemned every type of terrorism and stated that the reasons for the disorder should be addressed along with the process of the elimination of disorder. The negative propaganda against seminaries should be stopped, Qasmi said.
The Ulema and the seminaries are the custodians of the geographical borders of Pakistan and the people associated with seminaries would make all-out efforts to bring peace and harmony to the country. The PUC demands the government and law enforcement agencies that the foreign funding through some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) against the security and solidarity of the homeland should immediately be taken notice of.
The council considers the activities of the terrorist organisations, such as Islamic State (IS) which is shedding the blood of innocent humanity in the name of Islam, as anti-Islam. To make the operation Radd-ul-Fassad a success, the council announced of organising countrywide Ulema conventions.
Qasmi announced that the council has postponed the second annual 'The Message of Islam Conference,' which was scheduled for 12th April in Islamabad. He said that the council will shortly hold an All-Parties Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat (BPUH) Conference.
He added that the Council, keeping the national interests in view, has first of all extended its support for the operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, saying that the operation should be conducted against the terrorists without any discrimination. The 'innocent' Ulema and seminaries should not be disturbed, he said. He said that the PUC is in favour of the establishment of military courts to eliminate terrorism but it rejects the parallel laws.
According to the article 7, clause 11 of the PUC constitution, the council as well as the executive body has the right to elect and dismiss the chairman and other office-holders through majority of votes.
The former PUC chairman used to decide internal and external matters in autonomous position and the opinion of the members of the Shura was not incorporated in these matters. Some authentic facts and evidences have come to light which show that the former chairman has made foreign contracts which were absolutely against Islam as well as the manifesto and constitution of Pakistan Ulema Council. It has been clearly stated in the article 5 of the constitution of the Pakistan Ulema Council that the council would not run its struggle on the pattern of secret movements and due to this, former chairman Ashrafi has lost the confidence of the members of the Shura. Similarly in accordance with the article 6, clause 8 of the constitution, most of the council members are of the view that Ashrafi does not meet the criteria for basic membership of the PUC.
The central Majlis-e-Shura of Pakistan Ulema Council has formulated the five members committee to improve the constitution, manifesto and jurisdiction of all the members of the council and the system of the council in accordance with the needs of the modern age. This committee consists of Maulana Haq Nawaz Khalid, Hafiz M Amjad, Maulana Abdul Mannan Usmani, Maulana Hafiz M Shaban and Maulana Umer Qasmi.
Central Patron-in-Chief Maulana Mohammad Rafiq Jami, Vice Chairman Maulana Obaidur Rehman Zia, acting Central Secretary General Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani, Provincial President (Punjab) Maulana Hafiz M Amjad, General Secretary (Punjab) Maulana Abdul Mannan Usmani, Provincial Secretary Information Punjab Maulana Umer Qasmi, Maulane M Nawaz, Maulana Azam Farooq and others were also present on the occasion.