Spirit of interfaith harmony permeates Pakistan: Masood

F.P.Report

WAHINGTON : Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan says the spirit of interfaith harmony and religious tolerance permeates Pakistan as they are creating a tolerant society.

He was addressing a special event held at the Embassy of Pakistan to join Christian community across the world during their Christmas celebrations this month.

He said Christians are an essential and integral part of Pakistan’s polity and state and their influence and impact over years has increased exponentially.

The event was attended by religious leaders of all faiths including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Hindus. The event showcased Pakistan’s efforts to promote interfaith harmony and respect for other religions.

He highlighted significant presence of the community members in the mainstream of national life including judiciary, civil service, armed forces, parliament, education and other professional fields.

Referring to the horrendous incident of Jaranwala this year, the Ambassador said that the entire nation of Pakistan was outraged and shocked over the incident.  He said the incident underscored the need to come up with a national plan to stop and stem abuse of certain laws. “And we’ll continue to do that,” he said.

Pastor Michael Trivett, Dr. Joe Knight from Church of the Nazarene Michigan, Mr. Rizwan Jaka, Chair of Board, ADAMS & Compassionate Healthcare Network Clinic (ACHN), Ms. Aisha Khan, Democrat Party Leader Maryland, Ms. Srilekha Reddy, Republican Party leader Virginia, Dr. Surinder P. Singh, a doyen in US Sikh community, and former Senator Akbar Khawaja also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the significance of the event. They also appreciated Embassy’s open door policy and its efforts to unite people of all religion under one roof.