The Prime Minister said some misguided elements tried to sow seeds of suspicion and target religions and their teachings. He said we cannot sit back and allow a few extremists to attack our shared values. He said the way the entire civilised world came together and denounced blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] indicates that the followers of all great religions would not allow misguided elements to dictate their narrative.
Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf said we need to stand together and promote shared values of compassion‚ moderation and tolerance and love. He said all minorities are part of Pakistan's social fabric and we value the contributions and services of minority community in general and Christian community in particular towards the development of the country.
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said the present government is committed to the vision of founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam‚ Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto for an enlightened‚ moderate‚ progreessive and tolerate Pakistan. He said constitution gives every individual the right to freely practice its religion and share economic opportunities for its empowerment in the country.
The Prime Minister said the government has taken landmark decisions which include approval of enhancement of Minorities' seats in the National and Provincial Assemblies by the Federal Cabinet‚ reservations of five percent quota in Federal Government jobs‚ reservation of seats in Senate and declaration of eleven August as national minority day.
He said special efforts are being taken to bring the weaker sections of the society into the mainstream. Ministry of Harmony has been mandated to actively engage in dialogue with scholars and leaders of all faiths to remove misunderstandings. He said our government has proposed inter-faith dialogue as a long-term measure for achieving sustainable peace and harmony. He said the people of all religions should stand together to fight the menace of extremism and terrorism. On this occasion‚ the Prime Minister also cut Christmas cake.