The President issued this declaration here at Aiwan-e-Sadr on the occasion of book launching ceremony of "Paigham e Pakistan" (message of Pakistan), published by the International Islamic University, on Tuesday, in which a fatwa of 1,829 religious scholars and muftis has been carried. Their fatwa has declared unanimously that suicide attacks, armed insurgency against the state and the use of force in the name of enforcing Shariah are 'Haram' (forbidden in Islam) and this announcement was named as 'Paigham-e-Pakistan' (message of Pakistan). The effort is being termed the second biggest historic consensus among all the sects after the 1973 Constitution.
Addressing the special ceremony, the President said the basic principle of the Pakistani nation was developed in the light of the ideas of the Holy Quran and Sunnah and in the light of thoughts of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, which is the belief of the whole nation. The Fatwa of Ulema to counter terrorism narrative lends support which will help overcome extremism and terrorism.
He said the country's Constitution provides a strong foundation for national unity and communal harmony, and was the fundamental narrative based on the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah and on the ideas of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
President Mamnoon Hussain said the national counterterrorism narrative would help eradicate terrorism and prove instrumental in reforming the people who lost their path due to negative propaganda of aberrant elements. He said that the decree prepared by religious scholars and Wafaqul Madaris after thorough consultations is a step in right direction reiterating that Pakistan is an Islamic state believing in peace, tolerance, justice and love.
He said that the launch of national narrative on counterterrorism manifested that the whole nation is extremely serious on the issue and would be successful in achieving its objectives through unity. "I believe that this decree, prepared in the light of true teachings of Islam, will transform their hearts and pave the way for their salvation in the hereinafter," the President said. He said according to Islamic teachings, extremism, bloodshed and suicide bombings are categorized as spreading evil on earth (Fasaad-fil-Ard), which is categorically prohibited.
He said the decree would not only promote positive image of the Islamic teachings and Pakistani society in the world but would also help in overcoming the menace of extremism.
He expressed satisfaction that under the "Paigham-e-Pakistan", different religious schools of thought have unanimously prepared an impressive document in light of the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah whereby rationale behind sectarianism and use of religion for spreading evil on earth stands rebutted and the true face of Islam is revealed. The President pointed out that the state and its institutions to a certain extent fell short of discharging their responsibilities from the 1970s to 1990s which resulted in several complexities.
He said the nation sacrificed 70,000 precious lives and suffered huge financial losses due to terrorism and urged all segments of the nation to make a resolve not to repeat such mistakes. He said the roots of extremism and militancy lie in intolerance and in not appreciating different points of views, which fostered sectarianism by eliminating moderation. He mentioned that renunciation of research, dogmatism and intolerance resulted in dreadful forms of sectarianism.
The President said it is imperative that religious scholars, intellectuals and all institutions of the state must be vigilant and apart from individual efforts, should collectively work with mutual consensus to safeguard the nation against divisiveness.
"It is our foremost responsibility that we must hold this foundation (Constitution). It is the base which will provide us the strength to achieve a dignified place amongst the comity of nations and enable us to meet the challenges at national level," he said. He also hailed Islamic university and IRI for untiring efforts in the preparation of the Paigham e Pakistan.
They condemned extremism and terrorism and declared the supporters of suicide bombing as traitors. The religious decree defined jihad as being the purview of the state and disallowed the use of force to compel obedience to Islamic laws. The Fatwa has been prepared by Islamic Research Institute (IRI) of International Islamic University Islamabad.
The declaration said the soil of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan should not be allowed to be used by any group for promoting terrorism. It also called for offering protection to the life and property of the non-Muslims in Pakistan. It called for tolerance and promotion of justice and fair play in Pakistan.
The declaration said the use of force and waging an armed struggle in the name of enforcing Shariah and also acts of terrorism and sabotage in any shape exploiting linguistic, regional, religious and sectarian differences are un-Islamic and against Shariah and amount to rebellion against the Constitution and the law.
It noted that imposing one's views and ideology on others is against the teachings of Shariah and is akin to spreading chaos. The declaration said that no individual or group has the right to take law into his or its own hands or set up a parallel court system.
On this occasion, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that peace is imperative for the progress. He urged for self-accountability while stressing the devotion for the cause of country. He maintained that announcement of war and punishment is only the prerogative of state. Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif said that Pakistanis have shown to the world that they are united and the decree is its visible symbol. He added that that all the institutions and whole nation is one against the menace of terrorism.
IIUI Rector Dr Masoom Yasinzai read out important points of the decree and said the President of Pakistan had asked the university to come up with a unanimous decree. He also said that national narrative against terrorism is a continuous process and all the institutions were helpful and supportive in creation of this narrative. He also explained about the plan of dissemination of Paigham e Pakistan decree across the world.
Senator Raja Zafarul Haq, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Mufti Munibur Rehman, Maulana Abdul Malik, and Chairman Higher Education Commission Dr Mukhtar Ahmed also spoke on the occasion. Earlier, Director General IRI Dr Ziaul Haq briefed the audience about the stages of the preparation of Paigham e Pakistan. He thanked IIU leadership and other institutions for cooperation during the process of preparation of this narrative.