PRESS RELEASE –

The Universal Justice Network (UJN) has appealed to the signatories of a unity declaration to rise up to the challenge posed by the recrudescence of sectarian conflict in Pakistan.

In an impassioned letter to the leaders of Sunni and Shia parties in the country co-signed by other Muslim groups and activists, the leaders are asked to put their commitments enshrined in the 2013 Bodrum Declaration into practice to challenge the re-emergence of divisive sectarian narratives that have recently come to the fore.

The Bodrum meeting culminated in a Declaration of Unity signed by representatives of different branches of the Muslim ummah within the borders of Pakistan pledging to oppose practices that serve to undermine the integrity of the Muslim Ummah.

The appeal comes as Pakistan finds itself convulsed by a surge in intra-Muslim strife that has resulted in pronouncements of takfir and calls to murder fellow Muslims.

The letter reminds the leaders of their pledge to combat these evils and provide “urgently needed moral leadership required in Pakistan and condemn the resurgence of such practice and the incitement of violence and murder that has inevitably followed on in the past.”

Notes to editors: The full letter is available to read at https://www.ihrc.org.uk/news/articles/26899-open-letter-to-signatories-of-the-bodrum-declaration/

The full text of the Bodrum Declaration is at https://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/campaigns/10816-ujn-pakistan-unity-declaration-1434/

UJN has two secretariats in UK (IHRC) and Malaysia (Citizen International)

For more information or comment please contact the Press Office on (+44) 7958522196[ENDS]

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