ISLAMABAD: The attempt of the secretary general of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) to oust its leader failed within 24 hours, with the majority of PUC office bearers and central committee members expressing their support for PUC Chairman Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi.

Secretary General Maulana Zahid Mahmood Qasmi held a meeting at Jamia Qasmia, a religious seminary in Faisalabad, on Tuesday, Feb 28, and decided to replace Mr Ashrafi.

The meeting also decided to cancel Mr Ashrafi`s membership of the Pakistan Ulema Council.

He was accused of being too liberal and taking donations from western countries, including the United States.

However, within a day, PUC ofhce bearers rallied in support of Mr Ashrafi on social media, and a number of them also gathered at a meeting in Lahore.It soon emerged that only two out of around 200 members of the PUC central committee participated in the Jamia Qasmia meeting, while most members of the central committee and all the provincial and divisional heads expressed support for Mr Ashrafi.

The PUC central executive council has also announced a second `Message of Islam` conference, which will be held on April 12 at the Convention Centre in Islamabad.

The central executive council and provincial leadership of the PUC voted for Mr Ashrafi to be its chairman at a meeting held on Feb 18.

At the time, the meeting also issued a show cause notice to Mr Qasmi for violating the party line by developing ties with proscribed and extremist groups.

Belonging to the Deobandi school of thought, Mr Ashrafi has been vocal in his support for interfaith harmony and against religious extremism and has raised social issues such as women`s rights and polio vaccinations.