LAHORE: Academicians, journalists, intellectuals, writers, and human rights activists Friday demanded turning Pakistan a secular-cum-democratic state.
Paying tributes to Professor Dr Anis Alam at a reference held at Lahore, the speakers called for the separation of state and religious education. They wanted an enlightened and egalitarian society. Dr Anis Alam was a scientist and pedagogue of rationalism and humanism and the speakers proposed Nishan-i-Imtiaz for him due to his great services rendered for the nation. The speakers urged the people of the country to strive against sectarianism, terrorism and theocracy. In a resolution passed in the reference in the memory of Dr Anis, the participants demanded a secular, democratic, progressive state with equal rights for its citizens irrespective of faith, religion, gender, and ethnicity, as desired by its founder Quaid-i-Azam during his inaugural address to the then-Constituent Assembly.
HRCP veteran member Hussain Naqi, Saleema Hashmi of Faiz Foundation, Prof Fareeha Ideess of LSE, Prof Sajida Vandal, former Principal NCA, Shahid Kardar, former Vice Chancellor, BNU, Farooq Tariq, President HKP, Imtiaz Alam and other leading academics and scholars addressed.