KARACHI: The participants of The Peace Conference, jointly organized by Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Anthony Naveed, and Nehemiah Trust Pakistan, emphasized the crucial role of a robust democracy in fostering religious tolerance and social harmony in Pakistan. Sindh Assembly Speaker, Syed Awais Qadir Shah, announced the establishment of the Minority Parliamentarians Caucus aimed at safeguarding and advancing the rights of minorities.
The conference, held at a local hotel, was attended by religious clergy from various faiths, including Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and Parsis. Speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Syed Awais Qadir Shah, graced the conference as its chief guest. Notable attendees also included Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Anthony Naveed, Sindh Minister for Religious Affairs, Riaz Hussain Shirazi, Provincial Minister for Women’s Welfare, Shahnila Sher Ali, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Ali Khursheedi, Consul General of Turkey in Karachi, Cemal Sango, Malaysian representative Herman Hardynata Ahmad, Consul General of Iran, Hasan Nooryan, Faisal Edhi from Edhi Trust, MPA Muhammad Farooq from Jamaat-e-Islami, Chairman of Sindh Human Rights Commission, Iqbal Detho, Mufti Abu Bakar, and other distinguished guests.
In his address to the conference, awais Qadir Shah underscored Sindh’s heritage as a bastion of Sufi teachings, renowned for its promotion of religious tolerance. Reflecting on the historical significance of the Sindh Assembly as the cradle of Pakistan’s inception, he noted the representation of diversity through the current deputy speaker, Anthony Naveed, a Christian Pakistani.
Shah highlighted the enduring influence of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s pivotal address on August 11, 1946, in shaping the ethos of the 1973 Constitution. He reiterated the constitutional commitment to safeguarding the rights of minorities in Pakistan. Pledging proactive measures, he vowed to champion religious tolerance from the platform of the Sindh Assembly and announced the establishment of the Minority Parliamentarians’ Caucus to further this cause.
