CHINIOT: Leaders of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) on Saturday declared the finality of Prophethood a “red line” for Muslims. At a Khatm-i-Nabuwwat conference in Chiniot, they demanded that the belief be made part of the curricula of schools, colleges and universities across the country.
The party used the same phrase to rally support for the security of the Haramain. That echoed the message Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivered in New York, where he told world leaders that any threat to the safety and sanctity of the Haramain Sharifain is a red line that must never be crossed.
The conference, organised by the PMML, drew a large number of citizens. Speakers also voiced support for the armed forces in the fight against terrorism.
The main policy demand from the gathering was educational. Speakers called for Khatm-i-Nabuwwat to be included in the curricula of schools, colleges and universities.
Pir Syed Haroon Ali Gilani, Chairman of Hadiya-tul-Hadi Pakistan, said young people needed to be educated about what he described as threats to the belief in the finality of Prophethood.
The belief already has constitutional standing in Pakistan. Article 260(3) of the Constitution, added through the Second Amendment in 1974, defines a Muslim as a person who believes in the absolute finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH).
PMML President Khalid Masood Sindhu said party workers would remain committed to protecting the belief in the finality of Prophethood. He said the party was prepared to work for the protection of Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Pakistan and the Haramain.
Sindhu called for an end to linguistic and regional divisions and urged the nation to work together for a stronger Pakistan. It is a theme the party has returned to repeatedly in recent weeks, including at its Seerat-un-Nabi conference in Shujaabad.
PMML Secretary General Saifullah Kasuri said PM Shehbaz Sharif’s address to the UN General Assembly reflected Pakistan’s position on the Haramain, Kashmir, regional peace and the Indus Waters Treaty. He welcomed the fact that the Kashmir issue had been highlighted at the international forum. Days before the speech, the party had urged the prime minister to raise Kashmir at the UNGA.
PMML Vice President Hafiz Abdul Rauf said the prime minister’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty, and his opposition to using water as a weapon, represented Pakistan’s national interests.
In his address to the 81st session of the General Assembly, the prime minister warned that any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the Indus waters would be treated as an “act of war”. He said India’s unilateral decision to hold the treaty in abeyance had no legal basis, and that the positions taken by UN experts and the Court of Arbitration had vindicated Pakistan’s stance on the treaty’s continuing validity. PMML President Sindhu had earlier welcomed the arbitration court’s ruling.
Speakers said Muslims should remain committed to the protection of Makkah and Madina. They congratulated the armed forces on the Makkah defence agreement.
At the UN, the prime minister described the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye as an alliance not directed against any country but a collective commitment to regional defence, stability and peace. The PMML has previously urged more Muslim states to join the pact. It also held countrywide protests after the attempted drone attack on Makkah.
A spokesperson told The Lahore Times that any threat to the sanctity and security of the Haramain Sharifain deeply hurts the sentiments of Muslims across the world. Tabish Qayyu said the party fully supports the armed forces of Pakistan and paid tribute to the martyrs who had laid down their lives in the fight against terrorism.
The UNGA address that the PMML praised has drawn mixed responses at home. Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar praised the address, saying the prime minister had openly condemned Israel’s aggression against Palestinians and that the speech reflected the Pakistani nation’s sentiments towards the Palestinian people.
Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman took a more critical view. He said the speech did not give sufficient attention to Indian-administered Kashmir, detained leaders including Yasin Malik, and Israeli actions in Palestine.
Besides Sindhu, Kasuri, Gilani and Rauf, the conference was addressed by Tehreek Hurmat-i-Rasool Chairman Maulana Ameer Hamza, PMML Joint Secretary Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh, spokesman Dr Muzamil Iqbal Hashmi, Punjab President Muhammad Sarwar Chaudhry, Maulana Nasar Javed, Engineer Haris Dar and other leaders.
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