ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi has demanded a judicial inquiry into the unfortunate incident of religious intolerance in which a Hindu temple was torched in Larkana after reports were spread that the pages of the Holy Quran have been burnt by some miscreants. Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, who also is a member of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), urged the government to provide protection to the Hindu community and suspend officers who failed to respond quickly to the incident and prevent the violence that ensued from the incident.
“I also contacted PUC Sindh President Maulana Tariq Madni and asked him to play his role in quelling the tension between the Muslim and the Hindu communities. Our religion, Islam, preaches peace, love and forbearance. However, it is also necessary that the followers of other religions should respect the sentiments of the Muslims. Pakistan is in need of peace and it is the responsibility of the political and religious parties as well as the leaders of the Muslims and non-Muslims to play their part in achieving the target of establishing a lasting peace in the country,” the PUC chairman said.
Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi also contacted the Sindh chief minister and governor and urged them to take instant measures for improving the situation and preventing it from spreading further.