Tarlai attack: Religious leaders unite to promote peace in the country

ISLAMABAD: National Peace Message Committee Coordinator Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi held a press conference with religious scholars to condemn the Tarlai attack, saying that the committee was formed to promote peace across the country.

According to Ashrafi, members from all religious sects have condemned the attackers, calling them enemies of Islam and Pakistan.

The committee members and scholars also visited the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), meeting the injured and offering prayers for their recovery.

Ashrafi said it was the first time he had witnessed representatives of all religions visiting the wounded together, with tears in their eyes, showing solidarity and support.

He reiterated the committee’s stance, highlighting the Paigham-e-Pakistan fatwa, which declares that attacking places of worship is against Islam, and expressed full support for Pakistan’s security institutions in their fight against terrorism.

He praised citizens who rushed to hospitals to donate blood after the attack, emphasising that no one can divide the country and that those who targeted the Imam Bargah were anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam forces.

Ashrafi also expressed concern over cross-border threats, noting Pakistan’s sacrifices for Afghanistan. “We consider Afghanistan our brother, yet actions are being carried out against Pakistan from there,” he said.

He concluded that the gathering of scholars from all schools of thought sends a clear message: Pakistan is united.

Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon, the weather in Islamabad had become quite pleasant, even though the rain on Thursday evening could not bring back the chill. Abid Jaffery made his way to the Khadijatul Kubra Imambargah in Tarlai Kalan for his usual Friday prayers. After all, for the past year and a half, he has been a regular there. What he did not know, however, was that he was to become one of those lucky survivors who could not be engulfed by the devastation awaiting them as a suicide blast shook the imambargah, killing at least 36 worshippers and leaving more than 100 injured.