- Nawaz asks followers of all religions to feel free to practice their faiths
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Sunday said that the government would ensure provision of equal rights to all citizens in light of the constitution as well as the teachings of Islam.
In his message on the occasion of Holi festival, he extended his felicitations to the Hindu community of Pakistan. “In Pakistan, circumstances are changing. Here, the days of spring are coming up for which the basis of interfaith peace and coexistence were laid,” he said.
Pakistan was created as hub of peace not only for Muslims rather every tribe and community living in the region, he said. The prime minister said that the government would make arrangements to disallow any discrimination in the name of religion and the followers of every religion must feel free to practice their own faiths.
He said that all the citizens should also not suffer from any sense of deprivation regarding employment or any other matter due to their faith. He viewed that Holi heralds the onset of spring and brings along a message of hope for a better future. “This festival also gives good news that the societies also improve just like the winter turning into the spring season,” he added.
In his address on August 11, 1947, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had made it clear that there would be no discrimination on the basis of faith in Pakistan. “Our state is bound to fulfill the commitment the Quaid had made to the minorities in that address without tolerating any laxity in this regard,” Nawaz said. “Our nation recognised the role of Hindu community in national development,” he said, and lauded such a passion of the minorities.
During the past, the minorities also suffered at the hands of miscreants, just like other people, the prime minister said. However, this was unfortunate that the name of Islam was misused in that regard that had declared the killing of a human as tantamount to killing the whole humanity and considered the saving of one life equal to saving the whole humanity.
He said that Islam never discriminated the human rights on religious grounds and the Constitution of Pakistan also carried the same message. For national development, it was inevitable to move forward with the passion of national unity and build a society where everyone must feel free without any aggression, Nawaz said. “Holi festival teaches us that the virtue will live forever and the evil is destined to be defeated,” he said.
In Karachi, Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair attended Holi celebrations at the Governor’s House Staff Colony, arranged by Hindu employees. He congratulated the community members on their festival of colours. Speaking on the occasion, he said that minorities were playing a pivotal role in overall development of Sindh.
“There is immense contribution of Hindu community, especially in health, education and business sectors,” he pointed out. The governor said that there was complete freedom to minorities to practice their religious rituals. He went to the employees and individually extended his best wishes. The Hindu employees thanked the governor for attending their festival.
In Sialkot, the Hindu community celebrated the festival of colours with fervour and gaiety. The day dawned with worship in temples where the community members prayed for the solemnity, unity, peace and integrity of Pakistan. They greeted each other and also distributed sweets among each other on this auspicious occasion.