Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, has told Pakistani-American Chris-tians that a strategy was being evolved to effectively stem the abuse of the country’s laws for settling disputes and personal feud, and also to promote inter-faith harmony.
“The promotion and protection of the rights of minorities is top priority of the Government of Pakistan,” he said during a meeting with over 100 Pakistani American Christians who had gathered to meet him at a church in the Greater Philadelphia Region, according to a press release of the Pakistani embassy.
The Ambassador said that the Sargodha incident in which Nazir Masih, a 70-year old Christian, was killed was strongly condemned by the government and the civil society. The Police response, he said, was quick and nine members of Masih’s family were saved. “Unfortunately, he could not survive.”
He assured the gathering of a transparent investigation into the incident and that justice would be served in the case.
“The concerns of the Christian community will be addressed with full vigour,” the ambassador said, assuring the community of the physical and economic well-being of the victim’s family in Sargodha.
Christians, he said, are an integral part of the societal fabric of Pakistan, and their contributions to the nation’s development are invaluable.
Masood Khan also underscored the need for mutual respect and understanding among different faiths to build a more harmonious and inclusive society.
In this regard, he referred to various legislative and administrative steps, including the law against forced conversion, child marriages and discrimination against any vulnerable group.
Jaranwala incident, he recalled, had shocked the entire nation. “The President, Prime Minister, Army Chief, Chief Justice of Pakistan, all travelled to Jaranwala to express solidarity with the victims, and the entire nation had unanimously condemned that outrageous crime”
He also recalled that Ahl-i-Hadees had also offered their mosques to the Christian community to worship till their churches were rebuilt. “That is real Pakistan,” he said, adding, “We will continue to follow policy of zero-tolerance for such crimes.”
About hate speech, Masood Khan noted that Pakistan would continue to counter and penalize this phenomenon. He also highlighted the measures being taken to improve police response to such incidents in order to reduce fatalities and enhance community safety. “Better police response is crucial in minimizing casualties and providing timely assistance to those in need.”
He thanked religious leaders, including Aaron Bashir, Pastor Ilyas and Irfan Khan, for providing him an opportunity to interact with Pakistani-American Christian community.
“I stand by you. We will always be with you. Pakistan is with you. Your complaints are our concerns and it is our collective responsibility to redress them,” concluded the Ambassador.—APP
