Punjab govt sacks Tahir Ashrafi as Muttahida Ulema Board chairman.

LAHORE -- The Punjab government on Monday sacked Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) chief Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi from the post of Muttahida Ulema Board chairman.

The provincial government's Auqaf and Religious Affairs department said in a notification that Ashrafi has been de-notified from the post with 'immediate effect' following the approval of Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.

Sahibzada Hamid Raza, the head of Sunni Ittehad Council, has been appointed as the new chairman of the ulema board, according to the notification.

The development came a day after CM Elahi vowed to restore the Seerat Academy and reactivate the Muttahida Ulema Board for the promotion of religious education while speaking to the now ousted...