ISLAMABAD  -  Caretaker Prime Minis­ter Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Saturday reiterated that citizens of all faiths including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians were en­joying equal rights in Pakistan with dignity and the government would ensure protec­tion of their places of worship. Speaking at an event organised to celebrate Christmas, he felicitated the Christian community on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan. He said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) signed the treaty of Najran that assured protection to the places of worship of Christians.

In view of that treaty, it was obligatory for the Muslims for all times to come to protect the religious places of Christians, he said adding, “We need to pro­mote harmony, peace and love.” He recounted that a Christian King was the first one to lend support to the Muslims in their early days. He said it was oblig­atory for Muslims to have faith in all Prophets from Prophet Adam to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

All Prophets were a guid­ing light for humanity, he said adding, spirituality was a cure for the ills of humanity despite all the technological progress that humans had made. He re­called the first speech of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the constituent assembly in which he outlined the basic principles of the state of Paki­stan.

He quoted the Quaid as say­ing that “in course of time Hin­dus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense because that is the per­sonal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citi­zens of the State.”

In this way, Quaid-e-Azam made it clear that all Pakistani citizens had the same political rights, he stressed.

The prime minister said Quaid-e-Azam foresaw that Muslims, Christians and other communities would be denied their religious freedoms in In­dia as Hindutva was raising its head at that time.

“We will resist all kinds of fas­cism. Pakistan is the flag carrier of inclusiveness and harmony.”

“We are free to choose our faith. God, Prophets and their companions did not force any­body to choose their faith. The free will is awarded by the di­vine. God respects my dignity then how can it be flouted by any government or ideology,” he continued.

He said Pakistan had its chal­lenges and it was a victim of terrorism and thousands of its martyrs performed their na­tional duty and defended every inch of the territory of the great nation of Pakistan.

“Our valiant armed forces which included members of all religious communities were defending and protecting our shores, land, sea, and air and we take great pride in their valour,” he added.

He lauded the role of mi­norities especially the Chris­tian community in the prog­ress of Pakistan in the fields of business, education and health. Christian teachers and mission­ary schools contributed im­mensely in shaping societies in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, he noted. 

PM Kakar said when blasphe­my was committed in the West against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) it was painful for Mus­lims. Blasphemy should not be allowed in the name of freedom of expression, he added.

Talking about the plight of Pal­estinians, he called for immedi­ate peace in Palestine and the opening of a humanitarian cor­ridor so that vital relief could reach the oppressed Palestin­ians. “Everyone deserved peace and Pakistan wanted peace for everyone in the land of proph­ets.”

Minister for Human Rights Khalil George appreciated the prime minister for taking signif­icant steps for the betterment of Pakistan. He said people of dif­ferent faiths were living in the country in harmony, adding the Christian community was very patriotic and contributed to the peace and prosperity of Paki­stan.

Special Representative to Prime Minister for Inter-Reli­gious Harmony Maulana Tahir Ashrafi and leaders from dif­ferent faiths were also present at the event. The prime minis­ter along with the guests cut a cake to celebrate the occasion of Christmas.