Pakistan expresses solidarity with victims of religious violence

Foreign OfficePakistan expresses solidarity with victims of religious violence

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan on Saturday joined the International Community in expressing solidarity with and support to the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief.

In his message on the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that this is an important occasion to renew global solidarity in countering discrimination, hatred, and acts of violence against people and communities on the basis of religion or belief.

The foreign minister said that guided by the vision of our founding fathers, Pakistan has always been at the forefront of all international initiatives for promoting peace, tolerance, inter-cultural and inter-faith harmony, and respect both at home and abroad.

Qureshi noted that on the basis of the principles enshrined in our Constitution, the government has taken a number of steps domestically to promote freedom on the basis of religion or belief and protecting minorities including the establishment of the National Commission for Minorities, and restoration of places of worship of minorities.

“We opened the Kartarpur Corridor, and constructed the world’s largest Gurdwara, allowing easy access to our Sikh brethren from the neighborhood and across the world. The UN Secretary-General termed it as a “corridor of hope”,” he said.

Religious violence - Pakistan on Saturday joined the International Community in expressing solidarity with and support to the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief. In his message on the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that this is an important occasion to renew global solidarity in countering discrimination, hatred, and acts of violence against people and communities on the basis of religion or belief. The foreign minister said that guided by the vision of our founding fathers, Pakistan has always been at the forefront of all international initiatives for promoting peace, tolerance, inter-cultural and inter-faith harmony and respect both at home and abroad. Qureshi noted that on the basis of the principles enshrined in our Constitution, the government has taken a number of steps domestically to promote freedom on the basis of religion or belief and protecting minorities including establishment of the National Commission for Minorities, and restoration of places of worship of minorities.  “We opened the Kartarpur Corridor, and constructed the world’s largest Gurdwara, allowing easy access to our Sikh brethren from the neighborhood and across the world. The UN Secretary General termed it as a “corridor of hope”,” he said. The minister said that as we commemorate this day, we are particularly alarmed at the global resurgence of xenophobia, hatred and acts of violence against minorities.  Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that even as victims of violence belong to diverse religious minorities across the world, there is a disproportionate growth in hate speech and stigmatization of Muslim communities and individuals, leading to acts of violence.  Qureshi said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has been raising awareness about this phenomenon and remains in the vanguard of international efforts to counter Islamophobia. The foreign minister said that in our own region, the BJP-RSS regime in India, inspired by the extremist “Hindutva” ideology, has embarked upon a sinister design to “cleanse” India of the vestiges of its Islamic heritage, and make Muslims second class citizens, and even non-citizens.  Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that suffering of Muslims of India has increased manifold during COVID-19 due to targeted disinformation and deliberate hate campaigns against them. “As the world stands for victims of violence based on religion and belief, it must also call on India to immediately lift its inhuman military siege in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” he said. The minister said that for over a year, the people of IIOJK have been deprived of all fundamental freedoms including their right to perform their religious duties. India must be held accountable for its serious crimes against the Kashmiri people. The foreign minister assured that on its part, Pakistan will continue to advance international efforts to protect individuals against xenophobia, intolerance, discrimination, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, violence and incitement to violence based on religion or belief.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi

The minister said that as we commemorate this day, we are particularly alarmed at the global resurgence of xenophobia, hatred, and acts of violence against minorities.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that even as victims of violence belong to diverse religious minorities across the world, there is a disproportionate growth in hate speech and stigmatization of Muslim communities and individuals, leading to acts of violence.

Qureshi said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has been raising awareness about this phenomenon and remains in the vanguard of international efforts to counter Islamophobia.

The foreign minister said that in our own region, the BJP-RSS regime in India, inspired by the extremist “Hindutva” ideology, has embarked upon a sinister design to “cleanse” India of the vestiges of its Islamic heritage, and make Muslims second class citizens, and even non-citizens.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the suffering of Muslims of India has increased manifold during COVID-19 due to targeted disinformation and deliberate hate campaigns against them.

“As the world stands for victims of violence based on religion and belief, it must also call on India to immediately lift its inhuman military siege in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” he said.

The minister said that for over a year, the people of IIOJK have been deprived of all fundamental freedoms including their right to perform their religious duties. India must be held accountable for its serious crimes against the Kashmiri people.

The foreign minister assured that on its part, Pakistan will continue to advance international efforts to protect individuals against xenophobia, intolerance, discrimination, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, violence, and incitement to violence based on religion or belief.

Mati
Mati
Mati-Ullah is the Online Editor For DND. He is the real man to handle the team around the Country and get news from them and provide to you instantly.

Must read

Recent News

Global peace today is confronted with ever evolving threats and challenges, says COAS Gen Asim Munir

Global peace is confronted with ever-evolving threats and challenges, says COAS Gen Asim Munir

0
Islamabad, Pakistan: General Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) has said that global peace today is confronted with ever-evolving threats and challenges.He...

Pakistan conducted a successful test-fire of ballistic missile by a Navy ship

0
Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan has conducted a successful test-fire of an indigenously developed ballistic missile by a Navy ship, reports DND News Agency from Islamabad.The...
The author Dr. Attia Anwar is a consultant family physician with a postgraduate degree from the Royal College of GP UK. She is a strong advocate of health and well-being and wants patient participation in decision-making regarding health.

Altruism is new egotism

0
By Dr Attia AnwarKindness is another thing that makes your life better. It is very important for the pursuit of happiness. After expressing gratitude...
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Pakistan today on a two-day official visit and he will hold meetings with civil and military leadership of Pakistan. This is his first visit to Pakistan after Israel attacked Iran in response to Iranian attack on certain Israeli cities. His meetings with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar are confirmed. Foreign Minister Araghchi will hold consultations on the situation in the Middle East and Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations. This visit provides an important opportunity to advance cooperation and dialogue between Pakistan and Iran on a wide range of areas including trade, economic, energy and security.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Islamabad

0
Islamabad, Pakistan: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Islamabad today on a two-day official visit and he will hold meetings with...
War Model Criminal Justice Model Punitive Justice System and Restorative Justice System

Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2024: Can Pakistan mitigate terrorism only with the ‘War Model’?

0
DND ReportThe re-emergence of terrorism in Pakistan is now obscuring Pakistan’s potential to become an investment-oriented destination. Today, Pakistan depends upon the ‘War...
Advertisement