Peaceful, inclusive society for interfaith harmony stressed

Islamabad : Calling for a peaceful and inclusive Pakistani society, Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri has said the religious minorities in the country are enjoying complete religious freedom in line with the Constitution.

Addressing a ceremony of ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan Action Plan for Reconstruction of a Peaceful and an Inclusive Pakistani Society’ organized by Islamic Research Institute (IRI) of the International Islamic University (IIU) at its Faisal Masjid campus on Thursday, the minister said minorities in Pakistan have a historical connection to this land and are the valuable citizens of this country.

He said the Paigham-e-Pakistan document has been prepared after an extensive consultative process and hard work and it should be implemented with letter and spirit. The minister said there is an exemplary interfaith harmony and sectarian unity in Pakistan due to prudent steps taken by the government taking all religious scholars and stakeholders on board.

He said elements who hurt the feelings of any religious class are enemies of Pakistan and Islam as well.

"A tolerant society based on the principles of interfaith harmony can ensure social inclusion by providing equal opportunities to grow irrespective of their religion or faith in line with Paigham-e-Pakistan." He added that that there was no room for hatred in the name of Islam.

On the occasion, Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Special Representative of Prime Minister of Pakistan on Religious Harmony and Middle East Affairs addressed the ceremony. He said that Pakistan has potential to deal with challenges of Muslim world. Calling for unity among the ranks, Maulana Tahir said negative elements want to create unrest in the society and such attempts must be foiled through a well devised policy. Talking about the Paigham-e-Pakistan narrative, he said that this narrative is also presented by the Premier in the United Nations and it was globally appreciated.

Prof. Dr. Qibla Ayaz, Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), in his speech hailed the role of IIUI for construction of national narrative ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan’ which has gained global recognition for dissemination of true message of Islam.

He said that it is a narrative by Pakistan that promotes interfaith harmony and peaceful co-existence. He added that all the scholars and religious leaders of almost all religions have agreed and signed the declaration which is a great success of International Islamic University and Islamic Research Institute. Prof. Dr. Masoom Yasinzai, IIUI Rector hoped that Paigham-e-Pakistan’s Action Plan for peace, cohesion and inclusiveness will be a source of peaceful inclusive Pakistani society. Talking about national stability, he said we must prioritize peace and co-existence as it is a prerequisite for a peaceful country. The IIUI Rector urged to disseminate a message of peace across the globe.

Dr. Hathal Hamoud Alotaibi, President, IIUI spoke about the objectives and importance of the Action Plan made in the light of Paigham-e-Pakistan narrative and said that “Paigham-e-Pakistan rules out any form of terrorism and self-proclaimed acts of violent extremism in the name of religion. He added that the university is committed to take its responsibility to spread knowledge among society through its educational programs. IIU President said that IIU has gotten its Strategic Plan by its statutory body, which is a milestone.

Dr. Zia ul haq, Director General IRI, briefed about the details of the Action Plan produced by Islamic Research Institute, IRI, IIUI. He also elaborated future goals of IRI and Paigham-e-Pakistan forum for inclusive society and shared social impact of IIUI’s efforts on Muslim Societies. He elaborated the 5 years plan of action for inclusive society from this forum of Paigham-e-Pakistan. The ceremony was also attended by Vice Presidents, Director Generals, Deans, Directors, Scholars, Researchers, Faculty members, officials from IRI, and a large number of university students.

It was also addressed by Bishop of Islamabad, Joseph Arshad, Romina Khurshid Alam, Member, National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ajaz Ahmed Khan Jaffar, Federal Secretary for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony and Mr. Sohail Aziz, National Coordinator, Single National Curriculum, ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.