Pakistani scholars boycott ‘ulema’ conference in Kabul

Chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, Allama Tahir Ashrafi, has said that Pakistani scholars will boycott the conference of the scholars of the two countries scheduled to be held in Kabul next month.

The conference was planned to form a united stance against violent extremism and suicide attacks that kill civilians, however, Pakistani religious leaders say that they have reservations that the moot could be used against the Taliban.

Ashrafi told NewsPakistan on Monday that a delegation of the Afghan ulema council in their talks with Pakistani side had agreed in Islamabad last week that Taliban would be invited to the Kabul moot. However, he said that a member of the Islamabad talks said in Kabul on return that Taliban will not be invited to the conference.

He described comments by Aminullah Muzaffary, as violation of the Islamabad talks and said that the Afghan authorities can use the forum against the Taliban.

He said Pakistani ulema are committed to play its role for Afghan peace but he asked the Afghan side to initiate talks with Pakistani clerics with a new and broad-based agenda, which should also include, withdrawal of foreign forces and the US drone strikes.

Pakistani ulema skipped the second meeting of the joint organizing committee that was planned in Kabul on February 21.

Another Pakistani religious scholar and member of the organizing committee, Mufti Abu Hurraira Mohiuddin, has said that Pakistani scholars had sought clarification from the Afghan side in a letter about the reported anti-Taliban remarks by Muzaffary.

Afghan media quoted spokesman for the Afghan clerics’ council, Maulvi Shehzada Shehzad, as deying claims by Pakistani religious leaders.

The Afghan government had first proposed the Pak-Afghan religious scholars conference in November, which had been rescheduled for March. But the boycott decision by Pakistani ulema has cast doubts on its fate.

Afghan government has also planned to hold an international conference of religious scholars after the Pak-Afghan moot, however, it seems that serious differences over the

A spokesman for the Afghan Taliban has already rejected the conference as a ‘conspiracy’ by the U.S. and Western nations against them. Taliban have also urged the Pakistani scholars to boycott the Kabul conference.

Pakistan had officially committed to cooperate Afghan gov’t in holding the conference. But now Pakistan is now facing embarrassment following the Pakistani ulema boycott.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=38531

Posted by Tahir Khan on Feb 25 2013. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.