ISLAMABAD – Moualana Tahir Ashrafi lands in big trouble over the issue ofreceiving funding from western countries.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched an investigationagainst Tahir Ashrafi over dubious transactions in his bank accounts, localmedia reported on Tuesday.
The anti-terrorism wing of the agency is investigating Moulana TahirAshrafi, the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council after the matter ofsuspicious funding surfaced.
The religious scholar is facing the allegation of receiving funds fromwestern countries to promote their agenda in the country.
The FIA has issued a notice to Ashrafi, directing him to appear before theinvestigator on December 26. The investigation, according to the agency,could be extended to more persons.
Meanwhile, Ashraf has denied the allegations, stating that there was nodubious transaction from his bank accounts.
He said, “I am in Saudi Arabia and will appear before the FIA team afterreaching Pakistan”.
In March 2017, the Central Executive Body (Majlis-i-Shoora) and the commonbody (Majlis-i-Amoomi) of the Pakistan Ulema Council had alleged that itsformer head Moulana Tahir Ashrafi secretly received funds frominternational NGO’s.
The allegation was leveled by PUC Secretary General Sahibzada Zahid MahmoodQasmi who claimed that there was solid evidence of misuse of office byMaulana Tahir Ashrafi as he had entered into clandestine contracts with theUS State Department and other foreign agencies to secure hefty funds.
Announcing the decisions of the council’s meeting, Sahibzada Zahid MahmoodQasmi, who is also a member of Islamic Ideology Council, maintained thatthe supreme bodies of PUC had also delinked him from the subordinate bodiesof the council Wafaul Masajid Pakistan, Ilm-o-Aman Foundation andTahaffuz-i-Madaris-i-Diniya.
Qasmi said that Tahir Ashrafi had inked international agreements inflagrant contradiction to Islamic principles and constitution of PUC.
“Moulana had secretly set up Ilm-o-Aman foundation in Lahore for which hereceived funds in a bank account through international NGO’s,” allegedQasmi.
He further said that the PUC condemned terrorism in all its forms andmanifestations in its meeting and put its weight behind the recentlylaunched operation Raddul Fasaad to hunt down the militants across thecountry.