AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Islamabad, August 11 2013 (PPI-OT): The observance of “Minorities Day” every year is a reminder to us all to strive to fulfil the promise made to our non-Muslim brethren by the Founder of the State Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on the very inception of the state. On this day therefore we renew our commitment to protect the rights of non Muslims as equal citizens of the country.
On this day we also wish to recognize and appreciate the important role played by the non-Muslims in the nation-building process, the sacrifices rendered by them and to focus on the problems and issues faced by them.
We are living in times of great intolerance. The intolerance towards non-Muslims has spread to sectarianism. On this occasion I urge the religious leaders and indeed everyone to imbibe the value of tolerance towards people of different faiths and to also spread the message of harmony and tolerance.
Let us also on this day pay tribute to those courageous individuals who have suffered for the cause of interfaith harmony and for upholding the right of the non-Muslims freely to profess and practice their religion. They are heroes of the nation. They reflect the progressive, tolerant and humane ethos of our people.
Democracies better protect the right of non-Muslims. Unfortunately the right of the non-Muslims to freely profess and practice their religion was abridged during a dictatorship by deleting the word ‘freely’ from the Constitution. It is a matter of great satisfaction that the right to ‘freely’ profess religion by every citizen has been restored in the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
We therefore need to protect and promote democratic values and culture as a necessary tool of promoting tolerance, peace and harmony by ending extremism, intolerance and sectarianism.
On this day let us rededicate ourselves to the ideal of a modern, progressive and tolerant Pakistan that was enunciated by the Quaid-e-Azam in his historic speech today.
While felicitating all the non-Muslim citizens of Pakistan on this day, I wish to reiterate our commitment towards a progressive and tolerant society and to work for the protection of their rights as equal citizens of the state.
For more information, contact:
Haji Ahmed Malik
Principal Information Officer
Press Information Department (PID)
Tel: +9251 925 2323 and +9251 925 2324
Fax: +9251 925 2325 and +9251 925 2326
Email: piopid@gmail.com