Religious Scholars Are Guardians of Social Peace, Must Play Role in Preventing Intolerance: Maryam Nawaz

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has emphasized that preventing religious hatred and sectarianism is a collective responsibility of religious scholars, describing them as guardians of social peace.

Addressing a ceremony held to distribute honorarium cards among religious scholars, Maryam Nawaz said that certain elements had promoted chaos and unrest in the name of religion, which led to instability in society and the martyrdom of police and Rangers personnel.

She stated that there are around 80,000 mosques across Punjab, and applications have been received from approximately 70,000 mosque imams who will be provided a monthly honorarium of Rs 25,000.

The Chief Minister acknowledged that the amount may be modest but said it would help ease the financial burden of imams. She added that a simple and transparent mechanism has been devised to ensure smooth disbursement of the honorarium.

Maryam Nawaz announced that from the end of February, individual bank accounts for mosque imams will be opened at the Bank of Punjab to strengthen coordination between the government and religious scholars.

She clarified that curbing extremism and unrest is not the sole responsibility of the government, but also requires the cooperation of religious leaders. Referring to incidents of vandalism, she said public and government property was set on fire, roads were blocked, and some individuals attempted to justify such acts in the name of religion, calling it a serious threat to society.

The Chief Minister urged imams to convey the government’s message to the public and play their role in maintaining unity and peace in the country. She reiterated that the state would ensure justice for the oppressed and protect the lives and property of citizens at all costs.

She also stressed the importance of obeying traffic laws, saying it was a shared responsibility to prevent accidents and ensure a safer society.