Government Should Focus on Supremacy of Constitution and Law Instead of Force and Character Assassination; Stop Calling Dissent Treason — Maulana Abdul Wasay

QUETTA (Daily Qudrat Quetta) — Provincial Ameer of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Balochistan and Senator Maulana Abdul Wasay, while addressing the annual Dastar-e-Fazeelat gathering at Jamia Tahseen-ul-Quran Pashtun Bagh, said that efforts to tarnish the pure, sacred, and scholarly system of religious seminaries at the state level are nothing but an attempt to win the pleasure of America and the West. Religious seminaries are the guardians of this country’s ideological, religious, and moral foundation, where, along with the teaching of the Quran and Sunnah, the duties of character-building of students, moral training, and reform of society are performed. Running negative propaganda against these institutions and attempting to cast doubt on their services is in fact tantamount to wounding the sentiments of the people associated with religious education and Islamic values. He said that ideas of one’s own choosing cannot be imposed on the people through narratives based on force, coercion, and falsehood; such measures, instead of solving problems, give rise to unrest, mistrust, and backlash. It is the responsibility of the state and the government to promote the supremacy of the Constitution and law, justice, tolerance, and mutual respect in the country, rather than labeling those who hold differing opinions as traitors and engaging in their personal character assassination. Maulana Abdul Wasay said that in democratic societies, tolerating dissent, responding to arguments with reason, and seeking solutions to problems through dialogue are the hallmarks of political maturity and wisdom, but regrettably, instead of creating an atmosphere of dialogue and tolerance, the tendency to suppress dissenting voices, run negative campaigns against them, and raise questions about their patriotism is being promoted, which does not behoove any government in any way. He said that religious seminaries have always played an important role in teaching the religion of Islam, moral training, service to humanity, and peace and reform in society. Instead of leveling baseless allegations against these institutions, their services should be acknowledged; if there are reservations on any matter, they should be resolved through serious dialogue, evidence, and constitutional and legal procedures. He further said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam will continue to play its democratic and peaceful role for the protection of the identity, freedom, and constitutional rights of religious seminaries, and any discriminatory treatment and negative propaganda against seminaries will not be accepted. The government should avoid the politics of confrontation and accusation and promote confidence-building, tolerance, and national unity, because the stability of the country lies not in the use of force or character assassination of those who differ, but in justice, tolerance, dialogue, and respect for the constitutional rights of all segments of society. The Dastar-e-Fazeelat gathering was also addressed by Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Yousuf, Maulana Kalimullah Naqshbandi, Hafiz Masood Ahmad, and Hafiz Muhammad Saleem. Later, a dinner was hosted at the residence of Haji Muhammad Hanif.