Pak's religious parties support military opns against Taliban

Pakistani religious parties of the Barelvi school of thought today forged an alliance to check extremist elements spreading Talibanisation in parts of the country, especially the politically strategic Punjab province, and backed the military operations against militants.    

The parties – Sunni Tehrik, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, Aalmi Tanzim Ahle Sunnat, Markazi Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, Karwan-e-Islam and Nizam-e-Mustafa – have joined hands under the banner of the Sunni Itehad Counsil (SIC).    

The leaders of these parties told a news conference here that the Taliban's brand of Islam had landed other religious parties in hot waters as "the people have started equating us with Taliban".    

"To dispel this impression and Taliban's version of Islam, we are going to hold an all Pakistan Ulema and Mashaikh conference in Islamabad on May 17. We strongly condemn Taliban and urge the Pakistan military to eliminate them at the earliest," they said in a statement.    

The parties said they were monitoring elements in their seminaries that are reportedly targeting young students to achieve their nefarious designs.    

There are intelligence reports that Taliban have focused on seminaries, including those in Punjab, to recruit youths.A seminar of religious scholars held in Rawalpindi yesterday extended full support to the government's decision to flush out elements involved in defaming Islam by carrying out subversive activities in different parts of Pakistan.    

Such elements are a "black spot on the peaceful religion of Islam" and the scholars will make all-out efforts to foil their nefarious designs and ensure the integrity and sovereignty of the country, the scholars said during their speeches at the seminar.    

Several top clerics and scholars, including Hafiz Bashir Ahmed Sialvi, Fasih Mehmood, Qari Niaz Ali Niazi, Mufti Salman Rizvi, Zafar Muhammad Farashvi from Britain and Saleem Habibi spoke on the occasion and highlighted the teachings of Islam.    

Terming incidents of violence as a "conspiracy" against Islam and Pakistan, they urged clerics, religious scholars and 'khateebs' from all schools of thought to play their role in creating awareness among masses on the issue.