Minorities enjoying complete freedom in Pakistan: US Consul General

KARACHI: US Consul General in Karachi Rob Silberstein has said that the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah always talked about equal rights for the different minorities living in Pakistan and observed that minorities in Pakistan are enjoying complete freedom.

Consul General expressed these views in an International Seerah conference 2020, organized by the Seerat Chair of the University of Karachi.

Rob Silberstein further said, “With 52,000 students, and graduates succeeding in fields from physics to politics, the arts, sciences, and religious scholarship, the KU has an important role in shaping the intellectual tapestry of this nation and our world.”

He shared that promoting religious freedom has always been an important part of United States foreign policy because it is a foundation for peace and prosperity.

He said that both our countries recognized the high importance of religious freedom when we signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Rob Silberstein observed that the incentives for us to work together to build societies that respect religious freedom are great.

A society that accepts and embraces diversity in religious thought creates space for economics, trade, and people to prosper and thrive together.

“I commend the efforts of the Seerat Chair, Faculty of Islamic Studies at Karachi University and particularly the KU’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi to promote a deep understanding of Islam and of other religions your quest for diverse religious perspectives is building a strong foundation for your students and your country’s future.”

On this occasion, the KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said that Karachi University has organized the history-making two-day long International Seerah Conference based on interfaith cooperation in pursuit of peace and harmony and hoped that positive message would be spread around the world.

He mentioned that delegates from the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, America, and Europe are participating in this grand event to present their papers and share valuable views to support the cause of global peace and fraternity among various societies.

“Seerah conferences and seminars have been an old tradition for Muslims all over the world including Pakistan.

This spirit of sitting together on interfaith dialogue will pave the way for developing a sense of acceptance through reconciliation, he added.

Meanwhile, Professor Dr Ioan Dura from Romania while delivering his keynote speech, observed that the social reality of the 21st century offers a new framework in which religions, cultures are situated and we can refer it as globalization.

According to him, the religious morphology of today is one of the substrates of religious pluralism. The theme of the conference was Prophetic Teachings: ‘Peace, Co-existence and Reconciliation’.