ISLAMABAD: Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, the president of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, has congratulated King Salman for the excellent services provided to pilgrims every year, which allow them to perform Hajj rituals with as much ease and comfort as possible. His comments came during a meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki at the Kingdom’s embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday.

After performing holy pilgrimage in the Kingdom recently as part of King Salman’s Hajj and Umrah Program, Ashrafi told Arab News that on behalf of the PUC he expressed solidarity with the Kingdom in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, Operation Decisive Storm. The Ulema also issued a fatwa against the Houthi militia and Daesh terrorists in the region.

“The Saudi leadership and its security institutions are a source of pride for us, as they are protecting this holy land,” he said.

Ashrafi studied at Lahore’s Jamia Qasmia and Jamia Zia Ul Uloom, before completing the Dars-e-Nizami at Jamia Ashrafia. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Punjab University, and went on to earn a master’s degree in Arabic and Islamic studies from the same institution.