MQI condemns Lahore carnage

Condemning the incidents of terrorism that rocked Lahore on May 28 killing 93 people, Secretary General of Minhaj-ul-Quran International Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi has said that carnage represents the stark failure of the federal and provincial governments. He said that the government’s lack of effective security strategy against terrorism is mainly responsible for the mass killing of people. The terrorists continued to roam around Lahore for 12 days. What is more regrettable is the fact that the law enforcement agencies failed to pre-empt the attack despite having been informed in advance. He said that people’s resentment for terrorism is a known fact and the terrorists’ attack on the Ahmadis is an attempt to shore up their sagging support in a particular sect, which is highly reprehensible.

Dr Raheeq Abbasi said that it is the responsibility of all religious institutions to bring about positive changes in their syllabi to promote Islamic message of peace, harmony and love and hatred against terrorism and extremism. They should also declare their open dissociation with the terrorists. He said that it is about time that the leading religious scholars of all schools of thought passed a collective religious edict condemning the activities of terrorists unconditionally. They also need to bring this lesson home to their followers that terrorists cannot be Muslims because Islam abhors and condemns terrorism in clear words.

Dr Abbasi also demanded of the religious organizations to do much-needed self-introspection with a view to exposing the terrorist elements in their midst. Expressing his concern on the release of terrorists from courts, he dubbed their acquittal as failure of the government agencies for their inability to present credible evidence in the courts of law. He warned that durable peace would not be established unless the terrorism was eliminated in its entirety by unearthing their supporters and collaborators. He said that such elements deserved the strictest punishments and needed no clemency.