Pakistan's Federal Minister Noorul Haq Qadri Shares Stage With Jihadi Leaders, Says: 'The Constitution Of Pakistan Has Declared Qadianis To Be Kafirs [Unbelievers]'

On September 30, 2018, Pakistan's Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri attended an all-parties conference organized by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council ("Defense of Pakistan Council," DPC), which is a conglomerate of radical religious groups and jihadi organizations. At the end of the conference, the DPC leaders issued a declaration.

The DPC is headed by Maulana Samiul Haq, who is considered the grandfather of the Taliban in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region. The other key leader of the DPC is Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the founder of the jihadi organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and chairman of LeT's charity arm Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), which is also known as the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation. Noorul Haq Qadri, Maulana Samiul Haq, and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed were prominent speakers at the conference.

Pakistan's Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri said that he was attending the conference at the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan.[1] Other religious leaders and former officials who attended the day-long conference included: retired Lt.-Gen. Asad Durrani, the former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI); Maulana Allah Wasaya, the emir of Alami Majlis Khatm-e-Nabuwwat; Mian Muhammad Aslam of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan; and Allama Tahir Ashrafi, chief of the All Pakistan Ulama Council.

The top three leaders of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) (from right to left): Noorul Haq Qadri, Samiul Haq, and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.

Conference Declaration Demands That "Qadianis Occupying Important [Government] Positions In Pakistan Be Dismissed"

Speaking at the conference, Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri argued that Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan will remain second-class citizens, saying: "The constitution of Pakistan has declared Qadianis to be kafirs [unbelievers]. Qadianis will always remain kafirs in Pakistan."[2] Qadiani is a pejorative term for Ahmadi Muslims, who have been declared non-Muslims in Pakistan.

Ahmadi Muslims are accused of not believing that Muhammad was the last prophet, an argument they reject but say that Allah continues to convey his message through pious spiritual leaders such as Sufis. The declaration issued by the all-parties conference demanded that "Qadianis occupying important [government] positions in Pakistan be dismissed."[3]

Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Samiul Haq, the DPC chairman, warned Prime Minister Imran Khan's government not to dilute the constitutional protection of the idea of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, the belief that Muhammad was the last prophet. It is under this constitutional provision that Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan are declared non-Muslims.

"The government should not come under pressure on the issue of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat. If the government took Islam-friendly steps, we are standing by it. If it undertook any religion-enemy steps, then this government will not last even a year," said Samiul Haq, who is also the leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-S) party, one of the key constituents of DPC.[4]

Conference Declaration Demands An International "Law To Provide For Punishment In Blasphemy Cases [Such As Drawing Of Cartoons Of Prophet Muhammad"

About the cancellation of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders' event to draw cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, Samiul Haq said: "The steps taken by the Imran Khan government against the blasphemous caricatures are praiseworthy."[5]  However, the DPC chairman demanded that the government make its position clear regarding demands for reforming Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which stipulate the death penalty against anyone committing blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.

On the issue of blasphemy, Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri said that the Imran Khan government "in a short span of time has achieved many diplomatic successes and stopped the blasphemous competition in the Netherlands."[6] Qadri said that the Imran Khan government is determined to restore the Article 295C "in its true spirit."[7] Article 295C of Pakistani Constitution prescribes the death penalty for blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad.

The declaration adopted by the leaders stated: "For permanently stopping incidents of blasphemy [by drawing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad], the government should play a leadership role at the international level for a law to provide for punishment in blasphemy cases. A diplomatic campaign should be organized for this."[8]

DPC Chief Maulana Samiul Haq: "The Kashmir Issue Cannot Be Resolved Without Jihad"

One of the key issues about which the DPC leaders spoke was the Kashmir conflict. The declaration adopted by the radical leaders demanded that "the Indian terrorism in Kashmir be investigated by an international war crimes tribunal," and that "India be declared a terrorist country."[9]

It said: "India's threats of war to Pakistan are a dangerous plot to destroy peace in South Asia. The Pakistani nation is always ready alongside the Pakistani armed forces to deliver a mouth-breaking response to India's aggression..."[10] It warned India: "The attempts to threaten nuclear Pakistan will not succeed."[11]

Samiul Haq, in his speech, also stated: "The [Pakistani] government should make such a policy that India cannot threaten us. The Kashmir issue cannot be resolved without jihad."[12] Various religious and Kashmiri leaders, who spoke on the occasion, said: "Pakistan has not made a nuclear bomb to keep as a decoration in an almirah [cupboard]."[13]