The Christian community across Pakistan will celebrate Easter on April 20, while Good Friday will be observed on April 18.
In preparation for Easter, churches in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are undergoing decoration and beautification.
Closed-circuit cameras are also being installed to enhance security.
Pastors, priests, and Christian leaders from various political parties, along with representatives of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) labour force and the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) sanitary unions, have jointly called for special bonuses and three-day holidays for Christian workers serving in hospitals, government departments, and other institutions during the Easter and Good Friday celebrations.
They have also demanded six-month sentence remissions for all Christian prisoners and the release of those jailed for minor offences on compassionate grounds. Political leaders acknowledged the Christian community's contributions to national development and unity.
They pledged to actively participate in Easter festivities to promote interfaith harmony, encouraging all Pakistanis to join in celebrating with their Christian compatriots.
On Sunday, Christian places of worship in Islamabad marked Palm Sunday and prepared for the upcoming Good Friday and Easter events. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leadership and members of the Christian community expressed appreciation for the interior minister, the Islamabad inspector general of police, and the entire administration for ensuring strong security arrangements.
They also thanked President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for their continued support of Christian rights.
The remarks were made by Pastor Shakeel, Pastor Qaiser, Father Ilyas Masih, Pastor Zahid, Sohail Rumi, Tariq Ghouri, Assistant Attorney General Nadeem Mughal, Central Secretariat in-charge Sibt Bukhari, MPA Nargis Faiz Malik, Rashid Chauhan, Raja Imran Ashraf, Advocate Raja Shakeel Abbasi, and Raja Shahid Pappu.
Church pastors emphasised that Easter will be celebrated with great enthusiasm and that prayers for the nation's peace and prosperity will be offered.
They expressed full support for the security plans devised by law enforcement agencies in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
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