ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP):Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Interfaith Harmony and Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi termed Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby an ‘ambassador of peace’.
He was addressing a banquet, given in the honor of Archbishop Justin Welby here at a local hotel on Sunday.
Ashrafi said, “Apparently this is a small in size but in fact a big gathering as a towering figure is among us who is the ambassador of peace. To me, he is a teacher and he has a leading role in global perspective for promoting peace and interfaith harmony. “
“This is a blessing, you are here in Pakistan, that is your own country,” he added.
He said Archbishop Justin always supported the people encouraging peace and interfaith harmony worldwide.
He said when it was quite difficult to speak on international interfaith harmony and dialogue, the PUC raised its voice for them.
He said he was one and only who spoke bluntly either it was Rimsha Masih case or Lahore Joseph Colony issue or suicide attack on the church because there was an undue fear among the people. But today, the situation was a little bit different, he added.
Ashrafi said he had resolved 137 cases of unacceptable behaviors.
He said there were some complaints of forced marriages and religious conversions but he had resolved them too with his pragmatic approach.
He said this year not a single case of misuse of blasphemy law was registered in the country because he had personally investigated each and every case.
He said in 113 cases, he had ordered to release the people and remove the cases with a warning note. Now the situation was improving with the passage of time, he added.
Ashrafi said the actual problem behind all such fuss was the lack of awareness as people did not have an idea that what was the blasphemy in the real context?
He said forced marriages or religious conversions were un-Islamic practices.
He said all religions on earth preached the lesson of peaceful coexistence and so as Islam.
