The long road to interfaith harmony

Quaid’s words seemingly forgotten in modern-day Pakistan. PHOTO: FILE



By Shamim Shahid
Published: December 28, 2015

PESHAWAR: Interfaith harmony is the cornerstone of any society and policymakers of developed countries have spent heavily on ensuring such an environment exists within the state. Perhaps this harmonious atmosphere is the secret to the prosperity and progress of first-world nations.

In Pakistan, however, circumstances are vastly different as most of the violence is based on religious differences. It seems Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s famous words to the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947 are all but forgotten.

At the time, he declared Pakistan is without religious hate and discrimination. “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed – that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”

Nobody can deny the fact that most of the existing chaos and unrest in the country is due to hate and discrimination on the basis of religion, faith and belief. Soon after the death of Jinnah, liberal, peace-loving and democratic forces were ineffective in carrying on the mission, while hardline individuals and groups started dominating the general narrative.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1017274/the-long-road-to-interfaith-harmony/