Azad stresses peace, tolerance and sectarian harmony

Chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Pakistan and Imam of Lahore’s Badshahi Mosque, Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, on Saturday called for promoting interfaith harmony, national unity and the message of Paigham-e-Pakistan to ensure peace during Muharram-ul-Haram. Addressing a meeting on interfaith harmony organized by the district administration, he urged religious scholars to play an active role in eliminating sectarianism and maintaining law and order during the holy month. The meeting, chaired by Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, was attended by Deputy Commissioner Dr Maliha Rashid, DPO Muhammad Abid Warraich, religious scholars from various schools of thought and members of the District Peace Committee. Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad said Muharram teaches patience, sacrifice, tolerance and steadfastness in upholding truth. He paid tribute to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions for setting an eternal example of courage and justice through their sacrifices at Karbala. He emphasized, respect for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his family, companions and the righteous caliphs is an integral part of faith. He urged all schools of thought to adhere to the principle: “Do not abandon your own beliefs, and do not interfere with the beliefs of others.” Referring to recent diplomatic developments, he praised Pakistan’s civil and military leadership for their role in promoting regional peace, stating that the understanding reached between the United States and Iran would be remembered as an important step towards stability. He lauded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for their efforts and termed the initiative an “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” for peace. The participants unanimously stressed that while all schools of thought enjoy complete freedom to practice and propagate their beliefs, hate speech and taking the law into one’s own hands would not be tolerated. Other speakers described Muharram as a month of blessings