By NNN-APP,
Islamabad : Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday stressed for promoting inter-faith and inter-cultural harmony across the world to tackle the challenges of terrorism and extremism.
“Terrorism cannot be eradicated through oppressive and punitive methods only, because aggression breeds aggression and results into mutual hatred.
“To curb this menace, the only weapon available to us is love and peaceful co-existence”, Gilani said while addressing an inter-faith Christmas programme here at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA).
The Prime Minister said deviation from the essence of religions has pushed our societies towards extremism and intolerance.
“Terrorism is a phenomena, which has engulfed the entire humanity in recent times”, he said and added in order to extinguish this fire there was a need to follow the path of love and peace, shown by the messengers of God.
He said despite the fact that Pakistan is a multi-cultural society, “we all strive to live together amicably and peacefully.”
Gilani said the Government of Pakistan is very much alive to the issue and accepts it as a moral and social obligation to safeguard and promote the culture of peace and harmony in the country.
He said the government always aimed at creating an environment to foster a society that is both unified and diverse.
He said the government’s resolve to promote conditions, necessary for the economic development of minorities and to facilitate preservation of the essential elements of their identity, religion, language, traditions and cultural heritage is manifest in several initiatives taken by the government.
Gilani said the government has declared Aug. 11, as a Minority Day and from next year the Ministry of Minorities will celebrate this day with full zest and zeal.
He said the PPP government has also decided to enhance the minority representation in the National and Provincial Assemblies and to give them representation in Senate as well.
The government has also decided to allocate 5 % quota in all federal government jobs for minorities, Gilani said and added “this is due to our faith in people’s power and prosperity of minorities”.
He said in addition to their representation in political institutions, “we are also strengthening them in social entities. The government has already enhanced the minorities representation in National Commission on Minorities.”
Gilani said the conditions give him a profound confidence to assert that Pakistan is a liberal democratic state that strongly believes in religious immunity and individual liberties.
He also appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Minorities to provide space for celebration of such religious festivals.
Gilani wished a very happy Christmas and a blessed new year to all the Christian brothers and sisters in Pakistan.