LAHORE: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said on Monday that the government would not allow anyone to take the law into their hands on the basis of religious differences.
He was addressing a press conference at Central Cathedral Church here along with Christian community representatives including National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP) President Bishop Dr Azad Marshal. He said that forced marriages, forced conversion of religion and abduction of underage girls of other religions in the name of marriages would not be tolerated at all. He said the human rights ministry, in consultation with other stakeholders, was working out a mechanism to eliminate the fear of forced marriage among non-Muslims. He mentioned that efforts were being made at every level to create interfaith harmony through formation of councils.
He said, "Islam is a religion of love and peace, and grievances of the Christian community regarding underage girls' marriages and forced conversion were being probed thoroughly," he assured. He promised that justice would be dispensed with at every cost.
Ashrafi said that rights of every citizen were clearly laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. He said that according to the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, no one should be afraid of any group.
He said the government, with the consultation of ulema, was striving for proper use of the 295-C law that relates to blasphemy in true sense of words. He regretted that the law had been misused in the past, but now its misuse would be brought to an end.
Asarfi said that Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted to create such an environment in which non-Muslim citizens could play their active role for betterment of society. He said the government was taking all minorities on board to discuss and resolve their issues accordingly. "We are taking steps to ensure that all religious minorities are protected as the state was responsible for safeguarding the rights of all countrymen," he vowed.
To a question Asharfi said that due to affective and successful foreign policy, 57 Muslim countries were supporting Pakistan's stance on Kashmir issue fully, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was also on the same page.
To a query, he said that the minority communities, especially the Muslims in India, were being burnt alive and subjected to other violent treatments. He said that under the leadership of fascist Narendra Modi, the Indian government and forces had crossed all limits of barbarism and tyranny against the minority communities in India.
To another question, he said that Pakistan would not recognise Israel until and unless Palestine issue was resolved according to the wishes of Palestinians.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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