‘We should respect each others’ beliefs’

Speakers say there is need to shun differences among various sects

MULTAN: There is a need to create an environment of tolerance for promoting peace and harmony in the society. No religion allows terrorism, intolerance and hatred and we should respect each others’ beliefs.

These views were expressed by representatives from Christian, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim communities while addressing a press conference at Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday.



Riaz, Mehandar Pal Singh, Shukantla Devi, Khawaja Muhammad Usman, MCCI President Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi and others were present on the occasion.

They said that Pakistan rendered matchless sacrifices for peace and elimination of terrorism from the region. Acceptability to the rights of others is the key to promote peace and harmony in any society and there was no greater need at the moment but to show tolerance and understand other people’s rights to exercise their religious rites in a peaceful and non-violent manner, they added.

Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi said that the growing menace of intolerance in the society was leading to violence in the society because people have stopped accepting other people’s rights and started believing that they could enforce their ideas and thoughts on others by resorting to violence. He also stressed the need to shun sectarian differences among different sects.



He said, “Pakistan is passing through a crucial era and our country is embroiled in a chaotic situation wherein we have been experiencing extreme forms of violence, conflicts, terrorism and even war-like situation and all this is only because of this growing sense of extreme intolerance.”

He maintained, “The present wave of extremism, be it religious, ethnic, political, provincial or personal has grown out of simple sense of intolerance because we have stopped realising that everybody has a right to exercise one’s beliefs.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2017.