Leading religious scholars and Mashaikh from various schools of thought gathered at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Friday to meet with Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir.
During the meeting, the attendees collectively denounced extremism, terrorism, and sectarianism. They affirmed their unwavering commitment to supporting the state and security forces in their tireless efforts to foster tolerance, peace, and stability in the country.
Emphasizing that Islam promotes peace and harmony, the religious scholars asserted that distorted interpretations by certain individuals serve personal interests and are unrelated to Islamic teachings. They echoed the sentiment that Islam is inherently a religion of peace and harmony.
The army chief commended the religious scholars for their fatwa, "Paigham-e-Pakistan," aimed at countering misleading propaganda disseminated by extremists and terrorists. Gen Syed Asim Munir urged the Ulama and Mashaikh to actively counteract misguided propaganda and address internal differences.
Highlighting the scholars' role in engaging youth with intellectual and technical sciences, as well as fostering an understanding of Quran and Sunnah, the army chief stressed the importance of character-building.
Reiterating that Pakistan belongs to all its citizens, regardless of religious, provincial, tribal, linguistic, ethnic, or communal distinctions, the army chief firmly stated that the use of force and armed action by any entity or group outside the state's authority is unacceptable.