The Path of Peace

By Afshan S. Khan, " Sufi heritage ‘can bring back " - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Thursday, June 04, 2009

Rawalpindi: The anarchy and lawlessness currently prevalent in the country has its roots in the ignorance of peace and harmony that has always been a priority of our Sufis through ages.

This was stated by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi while speaking as chief guest at the ‘International Conference on Sufi Heritage of Punjab’ here Wednesday at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agricultural University, Rawalpindi (AAUR) organised by its Directorate of Students Affairs.

The minister said our Sufis always stressed on religious harmony and brotherhood among people - two major factors in uniting a society and making it prosperous.

“We cannot undermine the contributions made by our Sufis, who always advocated the path of peace and asked people to avoid rift and bloodshed. Sufis practiced what they preached, therefore, there is a need to revive their teachings and incorporate them in our daily lives,” he said.

Kazmi said the Ministry of Religious Affairs has also planned to organise an international conference that would invite scholars from all around the world to present their papers on Sufism.

Earlier, Vice Chancellor AAUR Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood said there is a need to reinvent the role of Sufis and the way they brought cultural harmony in the caste system, as cultural differences in our society are growing by the day.

“Sufis in Punjab such as Baba Bulleh Shah, Pir Mehr Ali Shah and Barri Imam to name a few have made remarkable contributions for the benefit of Islam, peace and brotherhood, and were ambassadors of peace. Punjab and Sufism are inter-related, inter-woven and inseparable from each other,” he said and added that the conference would be helpful in promoting cultural activities of various Punjabi traditions, culture, poetry, history and language.

Various speakers gave in-depth analysis on Sufi Heritage in the moot sessions, while in the concluding ceremony, a Punjabi Mushaira was held in which Anwar Masood, Dr Inam-ul-Haq Javed, Abdul Waheed Qasim, Anjum Muradabadi, Prof Saadat Ali Saquib, Dr Asmatullah Zahid, Dr Syed Akhtar Hussain Akhtar, Dr Naveed Shehzad, Dr Mohammad Riaz Shahid, Dr Saeeda Bano Rasham, Prof Dr Riaz Majeed and Taqi Jawad participated.

[Visit AAUR website http://www.uaar.edu.pk/index.php]