Interfaith Harmony

By APP, *Pakistan committed to inter-faith harmony: Qureshi* - Daily Times - Pakistan
Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Foreign ministers of Iran, Afghanistan to attend international Sufi conference

Multan: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the promotion of interfaith harmony and said an international Sufi conference would be organised in Multan soon.

Addressing a gathering of pilgrims during the first session of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam conference after inaugurating the three-day 696th annual urs of the renowned saint, he said the first session of the conference, being organised by ministries of foreign affairs and religious affairs, will be held in Multan and the second session in Herat city of Afghanistan.

FMs: The FM said the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Iran will also attend the international Sufi conference in addition to the religious scholars from different faiths.

He said the process of inter-faith dialogue was meant to create understanding amongst people belonging to different faiths to understand each other’s point of view and two sessions of inter-faith conference have already been held at Philippines and Spain.

Qureshi expressed concern that a section of people were misinterpreting Islamic teaching to tarnish the image of Islam. But these elements do not represent the majority, he added.

The FM said approval of 18th Amendment was a big achievement and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had congratulated Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on its approval during the nuclear safety summit in Washington.

He said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and the Balochistan leadership had attended the ceremony where President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 18th Amendment Bill.

No dissent: He said it was important that no dissenting note had been written by the Balochistan leadership. He said the government had announced Aghaze Huqooqe Balochistan package to heal the wounds of the Baloch people and announced a National Finance Commission (NFC) Award that promises more resources for Balochistan.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi, while speaking on the occasion, lauded the FM’s plan to promote inter-faith harmony.

Earlier, Allama Farooq Saeedi, Khalid Sultan and other religious scholars also addressed the gathering and highlighted the services of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam for the people.

Picture: Mausoleum of  Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam (d. 1335). Photo: Wiki.