LAHORE: Peace lovers gathered in the provincial capital on Thursday to advance their mission to cement stability and interfaith harmony in the country.
Clerics from all religions attended a conference, ‘Peace and Co-existence between Religions’, organised by World Council of Religions at a hotel.
They called for a total ban on all the proscribed organisations from collecting animal hides, while urging facilitation for the welfare groups registered with the government.
Besides Muslims, the conference was attended by members from Sikh, Christian and Hindu communities who represented all walks of life.
WCR Director Nauman Hamid expressed that their sole purpose is to promote brotherhood among people with different faiths. “We strive for solving societal problems through debate and dialogue,” Hamid said while opening the conference. Dr Munawar Chand expressed that respecting religious beliefs and rituals of others paves the way for tolerance among people.
Sardar Janam Singh was of the view that teachings of any religion “stand incomplete without message of love”.
Niaz Naqvi said that prior to affiliation with any religion, humanity is the common attribute among people. “All the religions convey message of love, affection and peace,” he added.
Punjab government’s representative Rana Arshad expressed that such events apprise youth of teachings of different religion. Arshad, adviser to the chief minister, noted that such conferences instill a feeling of reverence in people for other religions. The conference was also addressed by renowned journalist Habib Akram, who declared if different religions work jointly for humanity, many complex problems like poverty, unemployment and illiteracy would be addressed automatically.
Dr Samia Raheel Qazi, Asim Makhdoom, Pastor IB Roki, Bhagat Laal Khokhar, Emanuel Khokhar, Mufti Ashiq Hussain, Dr Mudassir Hussain, Sohail Ahmed Raza, Haji Amir Rasheed, Dr Majeed Abel, Father Nadeem Francis, Kazim Naqvi, Kalyan Singh, Inamur Raheem, Shakeelur Rehman, Samiullah, Aslam Nadeem and Sohail Lashari also addressed the event. At the end of the conference, bouquets and shields were presented to outgoing Bishop Samuel Azarayah in recognition of his efforts for peace. A reception was also hosted for newly appointed Bishop of Raiwind. The conference’s participants hailed the efforts of Muslim community regarding farewell and welcome of new Bishop as a positive step towards promotion of interfaith harmony and peace.
Published in Daily Times, August 25th 2017.
