To show solidarity with the Hindu community and express religious harmony, a large number of religious leaders of various faiths, civil society activists, journalists and representatives of the relevant government departments attended a Diwali celebration event at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on November 5, 2021.
The speakers of the programme, in which The Knowledge Forum (TKF) and the KPC jointly celebrated Diwali, stressed the need for spreading religious harmony in society.
dissonance, peaceful coexistence among the practitioners of various religious beliefs can prove to be the way forward for peace and prosperity. They also said that strengthening interfaith harmony and religious diversity can be instrumental in the development and progress of Pakistan.
They pointed out that there is a dire need to sense new possibilities, estimating from the young generation of Pakistani politicians, professionals, development workers, civil society activists, writers, artists, actors and creative people, who are ready and working towards a positive change.
“Diversity is our strength and the beautification of society, and together we can make a difference,” said Lal Chand Ukrani, an MPA affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the president of the Pakistan Hindu Council.
Pakistan is very rich in its culture and history, so there are many religious places of the Hindu, Sikh and Christian communities in different parts of the country. Therefore, a multicultural and multi-religious existence is very important in education, trade and art.
He said that it is an obligation of the state to safeguard the phenomenal religious history and cultures of non-Muslims, to provide them with a strong and peaceful presence in the country.
Mufti Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, a Muslim scholar, greeted the Hindu community and said that just a glance at Islamic literature fully supports the idea of religious coexistence.
“Islam not only respects other divine religions and acknowledges their rights but also prohibits any form of contempt towards them,” he pointed out. He also congratulated the TKF for this initiative at the KPC.
At the end of the event, a Diwali cake was cut by all the religious leaders. The participants also lit candles to express solidarity with the Hindu community.
Others who attended the event included Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Mangla Sharma, PPP Senator Anwar Lal Deen, Minority Department Director Shakoor Ahmed, Dr Karrar Abbasi from the police department, Pakistan Sikh Council Patron-in-Chief Ramesh Singh Khalsa, Darya Laal Mandir Maharaj Nijay Goswami, Father Salah Diago, KPC Joint Secretary Saqib Saghir, the TKF’s Naghma Shaikh and Zeenia Shaukat, senior journalists Shams Keerio, Tahir Hassan Khan and Rasheed Memon, and Anita Panjwani from the Sindhu Vas Foundation and the Women Action Forum.
