LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs (HR&MA) Ejaz Alam Augustine Tuesday stressed the role of ulema and religious scholars in promoting interfaith harmony in the country.
Addressing a seminar on ‘Interfaith Harmony and Kashmir’ held at Jamia Bait-ul-Quran under the National Peace Committee for Interfaith Harmony, he said that religious scholars from all schools of thought were making sincere efforts to maintain peace and harmony in the country, adding that they would continue to cultivate love and affection in the same manner and should play their role to remove intolerance from the region.
He said that every religion teaches peace and does not allow hatred, some hostile elements try to promote hatred but due to unity and harmony all their designs are failing.
The minister strongly condemned the growing barbarism in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir and said that there was no justification for international community to remain silent on the Indian atrocities and terrorism. He added that the independence of IIOJ&K was not far away now. He said that no one could separate Kashmir from Pakistan and the whole Pakistani nation was standing with the oppressed Kashmiris. He said that India must understand that the legitimate struggle of Kashmiris for their right to self-determination would bear fruit ultimately.
All other speakers emphasised the need for unity and solidarity among themselves and paid tribute to the martyrs of the security forces, while strongly condemning the recent terrorist attacks.
Special prayers were also offered for integrity and prosperity of Pakistan and independence of IIOJ&K.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Senator Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed, Mufti Syed Ashiq Hussain, Prof. Syed Mahmood Ghaznavi, Allama Muhammad Asim, Father James Channan, Hafiz Asim Makhdoom, Makhdoom Allama Asghar Arif Chishti, Chaudhry Saghir Abbas and others were present.