Though most of the religious leaders have slammed PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif for committing the ‘blasphemy’ of calling Qadianis “our brethren”, Jamia Naeemia principal Raghib Hussain Naeemi has absolved him of the charge, saying “Nawaz Sharif, apparently, committed no blasphemy.”
The cleric said the Ulema Board of Jamia Naeemia was reviewing Nawaz Sharif’s reported remarks and would come out with its verdict in a few days.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Raghib Naeemi announced to hold a series of seminars across the country to mark the first death anniversary of his father, Dr Sarfraz Naeemi, former principal of Jamia Naeemia who was killed in a suicide attack on June 12, 2009.
“Nawaz Sharif’s remarks were too vague to be termed blasphemy and it was very important to know the context of the statement,” he said, adding that Ulema Board’s opinion would be made public after the Dr Sarfraz Neemi seminar to be held on June 12.
It is pertinent to mention that Sharifs have been patronizing Jamia Naeemia and enjoy old family relations with Jamia Naeemia. Nawaz Sharif’s father Mian Mohammad Sharif was a family friend of Dr Sarfraz Naeemi’s father Mufti Mohammad Hussain Naeemi.
To a question, Raghib Naeemi said the operation against terrorists should be extended to all the parts of the country, including the southern Punjab, where terrorists were under going training. Not to talk of the southern Punjab, there are several places in Lahore where extremist elements are present and involved in terrorist activities, he said, emphasizing the need to break the network of terrorists completely.
Naeemi, who is also the secretary general of Tanzimul Madaris, the education board affiliated with Barelvi School of thought, said none of the seminaries of his bord were involved in any terrorist or extremist activity.
He said the first Dr Sarfraz Naeemi Shaheed seminar would be
held at Jamia Naeemia on June 12, second on June 17 at the Islamabad Press Club, third at Multan Arts Council on June 22 and fourth in Karachi on June 27.
He said the Lahore seminar would be chaired by Jamaat Ahle Sunnat ameer Pir Mazhar Saeed Kazmi, while noted speakers include former Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa chief minister Pir Sabir Shah, state minister for information Samsam Bukhari, state minister for Zakat and Ushr Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, Sahabzada Fazal Kareem MNA, noted journalists Majeed Nizami, Hamid Mir, Mujeebur Rehman Shami, Irshad Arif, Orya Maqbool Jan, Suhail Warraich, Hafiz Shafiqur Rehman, Pir Kabir Ali Shah, Ayaz Sadiq MNA, Minhajul Quran secretary general Dr Raheeq Abbasi, Sunni Tehrik president Sarwat Ijaz Qadri, Maulana Abdul Rehman Bukhari, and Khalilur Rehman Chishti.
