Conference on Solidarity with Christian Community held at LCCI
Lahore (MNP) – The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday held a Conference on interfaith harmony in which all the participants strongly condemned the Jaranwala incident and demanded for a strategy to avoid such incidents.
LCCI President Kashif Anwar presided the Conference whild Bishop of Lahore Nadeem Kamran, Chairman Qul Massaliq Ulma Board Moulana Muhammad Asim Makhdoom, Catholic Bishop Lahore Diocese Substeen Shaw, President Christian Businessmen Fellowship Pakistan, Convener LCCI Standing Committee on Human Rights Saleem Shakir, President Christian Lawyers Association Kashif Naimat and Religious Scholar Ijaz Azad spoke on the occasion.
LCCI President Kashif Anwar called for interfaith harmony and said that the prepetrators of the tragic incident must face speedy trial. He said that those who were inciting violence are enemies of Islam and Pakistan.
He said that Jaranwala incident has deeply shocked the entire nation and has tarnished soft image of the country. He said that if someone has committed an unlawful act, no one is authorized to take the law into his hand and burn the church or torture any peaceful Christian citizen. He said that the incident was against the teachings of Islam.
The LCCI President said that the time should be remembered when the Christian community stood with Muslims and protested against the desecration of the Holy Quran.
Bishop of Lahore Nadeem Kamran said that he is grateful to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry for organizing this conference. This is a
heartbreaking incident. This is a conspiracy to damage our interfaith unity. He said that the steps taken by the caretaker government are commendable. It is sad that our youth are being used in all such incidents. He said that we have played our role in independence of the country so that we can live a life of freedom. He said that we will not leave this country but stay here and face all these challenges. He said that we have to correct our mistakes and respect every religion.
Asim Makhdoom said that this conspiracy is not against any religion but against Pakistan. Pakistanis
everywhere in the world are embarrassed by this incident. We will make more efforts to promote interfaith harmony. Substeen Shaw, Catholic Bishop of Lahore said that the incidents
happened in European countries should not affect the Pakistani Christian community. If a person is
involved in such an act as an individual, that person should be brought to the justice instead of punishing any community. He said that we demand a transparent investigation into this incident. The subjects of
religious harmony should be included in our text books and the coming generation should be encouraged to live together. Convener Standing Committee Salim Shakir presented a resolution condemning the Jaranwala
tragedy.
