Sialkot incident: Pakistan Ulemas and Scholars observe Day of Condemnation

Muslim scholars from all schools of thought in Pakistan have observed December 10, 2021 (Friday) in Sialkot as a day of condemnation against the violent mob killing of Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumar.According to a joint statement issued by the Ulema, Scholars “This whole situation is completely against the Qur’an and Sunnah, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the existing criminal and punitive laws in the country.”Mufti Taqi Usmani while talking to the media along with the Ulema said that there is no section in Pakistan which does not condemn this murder as the madness has been shown in Sialkot. He said that this incident has shaken the entire nation. Furthermore, he said that Sri Lanka is a brotherly country with which Pakistan has fraternal relations.“We are deeply saddened by this incident and the perpetrators will be severely punished. Those who were involved in this incident and who killed our Sri Lankan brother for no reason deserve the worst punishment,” he said.Speaking to the media, Allama Hanif Jalandhari, General Secretary of Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia, expressed the hope that “the government of Pakistan will not make any concessions to the criminals”.Adviser to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Tahir Ashrafi has requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan to conduct a “speedy trial” of the incident.Dr Qibla Ayaz, chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), said: “An innocent man has been killed and an illegal act has been committed by accusing him of blasphemy without proof.”He said that this incident is a complete deviation from the national document of Pakistan. According to him, this message of Pakistan’s document has the support of all schools of thought and the Madrassa Board. According to him, there is no place for violence and extremism in Islam.Qibla Doctor Sahabzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan and National Solidarity Council, said, “Pakistan is an Islamic country. Islam teaches us that killing one person is tantamount to killing all of humanity. We strongly condemn this incident.”“Such incidents have nothing to do with Islam,” he added.