By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Special Representative to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Tuesday said that Pakistan will never accept Israel unless the Palestine issue is resolved.
“We consider Palestine as the issue of the Muslim Ummah and the entire humanity,” he said while disassociating the government from elements who are adding salt to the injuries of the Palestinians through their remarks on normalizing ties with Israel.
It is pertinent to mention here that even Prime Minister Imran Khan on November 25 said that there was no pressure on Pakistan to recognise Israel. “Pakistan under no pressure to recognise Israel,” said the prime minister while talking to media in Lahore.
“Our stance is very clear from day one and Quaid-e-Azam said in 1948 had said that Pakistan will never recognise Israel until Palestine are given their due rights” he added. Further assuring the religious-minority communities, the representative on religious harmony said that the government would not allow anyone to deprive non-Muslims of their due rights in the country.
“We all jointly form a strong and stable Pakistan,” he said adding that the minority communities also stood against the disrespectful caricatures in France. He lauded Prime Minister Imran Khan for his remarks at global forums against Islamophobia and said that his vision was lauded by all Muslim countries. “All prophets and holy books are equally respectful for us,” Tahir Ashrafi said. He said that the Christian community has played its important part in the education and health sectors of the country.
Earlier, Pakistan committed to resolve challenges of Muslim Ummah with unity of Islamic countries. Bilateral coordination needed to be expedite among Muslim countries to educate Muslim youths against the menace of extremism, terrorism and sectarian violence. Muslim Ummah needs to be get united against the elements and Organizations responsible for making anarchy and wreckage in Muslim world, said Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Special Representative to PM on Religious Harmony, Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council.
