LAHORE – Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) former head Moulana Tahir Ashrafi’s alleged contracts signed with foreign countries for promoting their programmes were leaked online.
Ilm-o-Aman Foundationm, an organistaion headed by the controversial Ashrafi, is allegedly in contract with Germany for its project “Countering Violent Extremism on Social Media and in Madrassas,” read the document.
The document states, “The donor shall grant the recipient in the full-financing mode a non-repayable allocation of up to four million three hundred forty-four thousand five hundred sixteen Pakistan Rupees (4,344,516 PKR)”
The authorised period for the project is August 1, 2016 to February 13, 2017.
Alleged contract between Ilm-o-Aman Foundation and Germany can be read here;
Through his foundation, Ashrafi also signed a contract with US-based organisation, “The International Center for Religion & Diplomacy” to provide on-going consultation, training and implementation services for ICRD programming in Pakistan.
According to the contract, “ICRD and Pakistan partner Ilm-o-Aman Foundation will establish, train, mentor and deploy Rapid Response Teams for the mitigation of inter-sectarian violence in Pakistan”.
The whole contract can be read here;
Earlier, the Central Executive Body (Majlis-i-Shoora) and the common body (Majlis-i-Amoomi) of the Pakistan Ulema Council has alleged that its former head Moulana Tahir Ashrafi secretly received funds from international NGO’s.
The allegation was leveled by PUC Secretary General Sahibzada Zahid Mahmood Qasmi who claimed that there was solid evidence of misuse of office by Maulana Tahir Ashrafi as he had entered into clandestine contracts with the US State Department and other foreign agencies to secure hefty funds.
“Moulana had secretly set up Ilm-o-Aman foundation in Lahore for which he received funds in a bank account through international NGO’s,” alleged Qasmi.
On the other hand, Moulana Tahir Ashrafi in a television interview had refuted the allegations and claimed that only four of the clerics beside Qasmi were part of PUC and scores of PUC members were still supporting him as PUC head.
To the burning question regarding the allegation of receiving fund from Germany, he expressed that German ambassador had clarified that there was no joint project of Germany with Tahir Ashrafi or Ilm-o-Aman foundation.
US-based NGO ICRD had also clarified that they did not give any money to Tahir Ashrafi for any ongoing project’ said Tahir Ashraf vehemently.
