ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Ulema Council has requested prayer leaders of all schools of thought to condemn, in their Friday sermons, groups that advocate `violence against the state`.

Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, who heads the council, held a meeting on Thursday with ulema from different sects and called upon them to promote sectarian harmony and religious tolerance.

`The ulema should tell their followers that glorification of terrorism in the name of Islam is unacceptable.

They need to promote the `Paigham-i-Pakistan` declaration, which embodies the resolve of leaders from different sects to shun hate and bigotry,` Mr Ahrafi said.

The Paigham-i-Pakistan is a unanimous document signed in 2018 by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and madressah boards of the four main schools of thought in the country. The document identified the problems faced by the state, but the focus was against the use of Islam to glorify terrorism.

Mr Ashrafi lauded the declaration as a document which reflects the core values of Pakistani society tolerance, spirituality, justice and equality.

`Since the people of Pakistan areagainst extremism and terrorism, it is the ulema`s responsibility to disapprove of fringe groups out to destroy peace and sectarian harmony,` he said.

`We need to end extremism and should support the state institutions in their efforts to banish terror and hate from our beloved motherland.

`As the terrorists are doing a disservice to Islam, the armed forces have a right to take action against them and to vanquish them,` Mr Ashrafi added.

The ulema said there was no room for terrorism in Islam and those who were attacking the armed forces were `serving the interests of antiPakistan forces`.