Minority rights: To promote interfaith harmony, Peshawar gets a peace committee

Members sworn in for a period of six months at an oath taking ceremony.

PESHAWAR:

A fresh committee for the Peshawar District will work to improve interfaith harmony and peace. An oath taking ceremony of the committee members was held at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday.

Peshawar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javed Khan Marwat administered oath to the freshly-appointed members of the committee. Khurshaid Ahmad Bukhari was appointed as chairman while Muhammad Qasim as vice-chairman of the committee.

The 20-member committee vowed to work for interfaith unity, eradicating sectarianism and making Peshawar the cradle of peace.

The committee members have been appointed for six months.

Minority representatives were also present on the occasion.

They said they were satisfied with the steps being taken by the administration in providing them an environment where they can live and practice their religions peacefully.

The peace committee will be responsible for peace, keeping an eye on negative elements and reporting them to the administration, and protection of graveyards. The committee will work under the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the national peace committees.

In his address, K-P Peace Committee Chairman Maulana Shoaib said that the district administration would also constitute such committees on union council level around the province. He added that the religious minorities have due rights under the teachings of Islam and would be protected at all costs.

DC Marwat said that
not only under Islamic teaching but also as Pakhtuns, they are responsible for protecting the followers of other faiths.

He added that every individual of the society has to play his role in bringing harmony and peace to the area, which is passing through a turbulent phase.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2013.