KARACHI, Dec 26 (APP): The Department of International Relations of the University of Karachi in collaboration with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony organized a national conference on “bridging beliefs: interfaith harmony in Pakistan”, at the KU Chinese Teachers Memorial Auditorium on Tuesday.
The conference called to promote the interfaith harmony culture in the country and emphasizes the importance of interfaith harmony, tolerance, love, dialogue, acceptance, and respect for all religions and faiths.
Caretaker Federal Minister for Religious and Interfaith Harmony Aneeq Ahmed, in his address as the chief guest said that every person in the country condemned the incident of Jaranwala Town in Faisalabad district which was reported in August 2023. He recalled that our scholars opened the doors of mosques for the Christian community and that gave a positive message to the world.
The minister asked the audience to play their role in promoting interfaith harmony culture in their social circle so that conspiracies against our motherland can be foiled on every platform. This is the first program arranged by the Ministry at any educational institution, he added.
The federal minister stressed the importance of refraining from using the term ‘minority’ for other religions, asserting that citizens of all faiths are equal in Pakistan. Recalling Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s words, he reiterated the principle of freedom for churches, mosques, and temples in Pakistan.
The speakers of the conference urged that it would play a key part in developing a society that will not allow intolerance at any level.
They shared that diversity is beauty and we need to find unity in this diversity. They mentioned that respect, acceptance, and tolerance are the way forward for Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Chairman Mohtamim, Darul Uloom Naeemia, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, advocated for the removal of the term ‘minority’ from Pakistan’s constitution.
Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman informed the audience that there was not a single reserved seat for Muslims in the 435-member House of Representatives of the United States. Similarly, there is no reserved seat for Muslims in the United Kingdom where four million Muslims are part of the British society and 650 members are associated with their lawmaking house, he said and added that 200 million Muslims were part of Indian society but they did not have a reserved seat.
On this occasion, in the presidential address, Vice Chancellor KU Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi emphasized the necessity of changing our way of life to foster interfaith harmony, urging us to recognize each other as fellow human beings.
He pointed out that engaging in festivities with other religions doesn’t erode faith; rather, it was the fragility of faith that weakened it.
The VC underscored that transforming our mindset was achievable through educating our children to inclusively embrace minorities and respect them, recognizing that these emerging generations served as ambassadors shaping our future. He advocated for fostering a relationship based on love, peace, tolerance and respect as the sole means by which we can coexist harmoniously.
Another speaker, Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Cardinal of the Vatican’s Pope, representing the Archdiocese of Karachi emphasized that dialogue alone was insufficient; true harmony encompassed acceptance, respect, and tolerance.
Cardinal Coutts advocated for rectifying terminologies used for followers of various faiths, suggesting the adoption of the term ‘Pakistani’ instead of ‘minorities’. He stressed the imperative of disseminating knowledge.
Patron in Chief of the Pakistan Sikh Council Sardar Ramesh Singh said that Pakistan was a holy land for the followers of Sikhism. All religions have complete freedom and protection in Pakistan as evidenced by the Kartarpur Corridor, he said and added that Sikhs living in other countries come to Pakistan and perform Sikh pilgrimage. Sardar Ramesh Singh said that we were feeling proud to represent Pakistan abroad. All religions teach us peace, love and brotherhood, he expressed.
Former Additional Advocate General and Member of the Sindh Public Service Commission, Kalpana Devi said that she was proud to be the daughter of the Sindh soil. She said that we were neither Christian nor Hindu, we were only Pakistanis. She also insisted that we were not recognized by religion abroad but by Pakistan.
Another speaker, Bishop of Karachi and Balochistan Diocese, Bishop Fredrick John said that if we wanted to have peace and harmony in our society we need to address those people who need to be addressed. We need to engage and address those people in society who are the real problem and don’t understand other faiths. So we need to address the right people to continue this interfaith harmony and dialogue, he added.
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences KU Professor Dr Shaista Tabassum, Chairman of IR Department KU Dr Naeem Ahmed, former chairperson of IR Department KU Professor Dr Khalida Ghous and former member of the Islamic Ideology Council of Pakistan Dr Mohsin Naqvi also spoke on this occasion.
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