Pakistan to set up inter-faith harmony councils to resolve sectarian conflicts

ISLAMABAD: Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and the Middle East, has mentioned that Pakistan is establishing interfaith harmony councils at the local, provincial and national level - to promote dialogue and resolve sectarian conflicts.

Pakistan is currently in the midst of heightened protests, over the killing of 11 miners from the minority Shia Hazara community in Southwestern Balochistan, on Sunday.

The Daesh group claimed responsibility for the attack, having repeatedly targeted the country's minority Shia community in recent years.

The families of the deceased have organised a sit-in in the provincial capital of Quetta since the incident, with the coffins of the victims - demanding that they will only call off their protest when Prime Minister Imran Khan visits Quetta to meet the protesters.

Ashrafi in a media interview stated that "We are going to establish interfaith harmony councils from the grassroots level to the top, from the union council level to the national level to promote dialogue and resolve all issues among different sects through negotiation,” adding that ”There is no space for sectarianism in Islam. We have a tolerant society in Pakistan, where we work together with Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and other minorities.”

“Daesh, Pakistani Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other organizations are killing innocent people. They are linking themselves with Islam, but they have no link or relation with Muslims and Islam,” Ashrafi said.