DLP Report
PESHAWAR
A special ceremony was held at the Jirga Hall of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on the occasion of National Minorities Day, with Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati as the chief guest.
Provincial Minister for Auqaf, Hajj, Religious and Minority Affairs Adnan Qadri also attended the ceremony, along with KP Assembly Secretary Syed Waqar Shah, representatives of Christian, Hindu, Sikh and other minority communities, religious figures and senior officials.
The ceremony began with the national anthem, followed by an opening prayer by Bishop Javed Sharif, a prayer by Pandit Rattan Lal and an interfaith prayer by a representative of the Sikh community.
MPA Gurpal Singh, former adviser Wazir Zada, former MPA Ravi Kumar, the secretary of Auqaf, Hajj, Religious and Minority Affairs, Bishop Humphrey Sarfraz Peters, Haroon Sarbdyal, Sahib Singh, Samuel Robert, Tabeer Kamran, Waqas Khokhar and Habakkuk Gill were among those who addressed the gathering.
Speaking on the occasion, Swati said the contribution of minority communities to the development and progress of Pakistan was highly commendable.
He said the Constitution guaranteed equal rights and religious freedom to all citizens. The KP Assembly, he added, would continue to play its role in protecting the rights of minority communities, safeguarding religious freedom and promoting interfaith harmony. He said the beauty of Pakistan lay in mutual respect, tolerance and unity among citizens belonging to different religions and cultures.
“Promoting interfaith harmony is the need of the hour for building a peaceful and strong society,” he said.
Mr Qadri also addressed the ceremony and highlighted government measures for the welfare of minority communities, protection of their rights and promotion of religious freedom.
The ceremony concluded with a cake-cutting ceremony to mark National Minorities Day and a national song.
