With an aim to highlight the sacrifices made by religious intellectuals in promoting Islam and getting separate a homeland for the Muslims of subcontinent, Sahibzada Maqsood Ahmad Sabri, an eminent scholar, launched his book “Qayam-e-Pakistan main Ulema o Mashaykh ki Khidmat” on Sunday. The launching ceremony was held at Rawalpindi Arts Council in which people belonging from all spectrums of life participated in large numbers while Member National Assembly Malik Shakeel Awan was the chief guest on the occasion. Religious scholars, including the author, noted that religion played an important role as a primordial identity in politics. They said in politics, difficulties arose about the boundary of interaction and the limit as well as the right blend so that religion could be attributed as a positive factor in national integration and provided a political legitimacy to the rulers.
They regretted that religion had been misused in the state’s attempts of nation-building in Pakistan. However, they claimed that clerics prevented the religion from being mixed with politics as it had not only induced a sense of insecurity among the minorities but very often limited their freedom of expression. They were of the view that in promotion of Islam in the subcontinent, no one could deny the role of religious scholars. Shakeel Awan said clerics played their crucial role in depicting a peaceful picture of Islam in the region and they were working beyond doubt to promote peace in the country.
He said the nation got Pakistan in the name of Allah and his Prophet. “No one can remove us from the map of world as teachings of Islam are still alive in our society,” Awan remarked. He said people should pray before Allah to get rid of dengue virus and other calamities. However, the speakers said teachings of Sufi saints were based on harmony and brotherhood. They said saints were the main force who promoted Islam in the subcontinent. They said in the prevailing unrest in Pakistan, it had become obligatory to act upon the teachings of Sufism.
