Those who do not recognise Sharia and the Constitution are not considered Pakistani, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir said on Thursday.

“In the eyes of Allah, the biggest crime is corruption on earth and the Pakistan Army is striving to eradicate this corruption,” he said while addressing the Ulema-Mashaikh Conference in Islamabad.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also attended the moot. Religious scholars had gathered for the conference in the federal capital.

Before the COAS, the premier appreciating his efforts and support extended and added that such “exemplary collaboration was a role model” for the future.

The army chief acknowledged the sacrifices rendered by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the war against terrorism, stating that the army stands with their Pashtun brothers.

COAS Munir also termed the “Khawarij” as a major “fitna”, referring to a quote by Allama Iqbal that translated like this: “If one strays from Allah, even education becomes a disorder, wealth, children, and land also become a disorder, if they rise for the unjust, even the sword becomes a disorder, and the slogan of Takbir also becomes a disorder.”

The government labelled the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan as Fitna al Khawarij and proscribed two more outfits, Majeed Brigade and Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, earlier this month.

“From now on, we will use the term Fitna al-Khawarij to refer to the TTP, while all terrorists associated with the group would be termed khariji (outcasts),” Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said at a press conference on Monday. “This is because it is a mischief-making group; it’s neither an ideology nor has anything to do with Islam or Pakistan,” he asserted.

In his address, the army chief stated that the Almighty Allah’s command is that “there is no compulsion in religion.” He encouraged the people to exercise their right to protest, but emphasised that protests must remain peaceful.

While addressing concerns over militant and smuggling networks, COAS Munir warned that attempts to sow discord through social media would be firmly resisted. “Anarchy is spread through social media,” he said.

“No one has the courage to insult the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). No power in the world can harm Pakistan,” the army chief stated.

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“If you want to know the importance of the state, ask Iraq, Syria, and Libya. Religious scholars and elders should promote tolerance and unity instead of extremism and division. Scholars should bring back moderation, and reject corruption on earth. Western civilisation and lifestyle are not our ideals. We should be proud of our own culture. Those who claimed that they buried the two-nation theory in the Bay of Bengal, where are they now? The Kashmir issue is an unfinished agenda of the partition of India and Pakistan.”

The army chief expressed “deep anguish” over the atrocities committed against the people of Palestine, stating that it served as a lesson that “Pakistan must strengthen itself to ensure its protection.”