The Sant' Egidio Community of Pakistan organized the National Interfaith Conference for Peace with the theme of IMAGINE PEACE on 30 November 2024 in Lahore with the collaboration of the Peace Center, Lahore, Pakistan.
Ms. Sadia Iqbal and Mr. Garry Mushtaq were organizers from the Saint Egidio Community of Pakistan.
Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, Grand Imam Badshahi Mosque Lahore, and Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Pakistan participated as chief guests at the conference.
Dominican Fr. Dr. James Channan, director of the Peace Center Lahore, presided over the Imagine Peace National Interfaith Conference for Peace.
As honorable guests, Allama Muhammad Zubair Abid, Sardar Sikandar Singh, Pandit Baghat Lal Khokar, Allama Kazam Raza Naqvi, Mufti Ashiq Hussain, Allama Zubair Zaheer Ahmad, Fr. Akhtar Naved OP, Fr. Basharat Suraj, Fr. Lazar Aslam OFM, Shahid Mughal, Prof. Muhammad Mehmood Ghaznavi, Dr. Abdul Ghaffar Randhawa, Mufti Muhammad Ramzan Sialvi, Allama Asad Ullah, Advocate Najam Iqbal Ghori, and Kawaja Javed Aslam, and Dr. Michale Iqbal Nisari participated in the event.
Asher Nazir, the executive secretary at the Peace Center Lahore, welcomed all honorable guests and extended an invitation to all.
The team members of the Sant' Egidio Community of Pakistan presented rose bouquets to all honorable guests. He spoke about peace and noted the attendees' excitement.
He said, “Today, everyone is smiling and excited that we are all here as people of different religions: Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Christian brothers and sisters.”
The Imagine Peace National Interfaith Conference for Peace commenced with interfaith prayers. Mr. Emmanuel Gill recited from the Holy Bible, Mufti Ashiq Hussain from the Holy Quran, Sardar Sikandar Singh from the Guru Granth Sahib, and Pandit Baghat Lal Khokar from the Bhagavad Gita.
In their prayers, they prayed to the Lord for love, peace, unity, and respect among religions and the prosperity of Pakistan.
More than 100 people from various religions attended the ceremony at the Peace Center in Lahore.
Pakistan is a theocratic country, where Islam is a state religion. Religious minorities such as Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and other Indigenous groups have been striving hard for decades to promote peace, harmony, and solidarity with religious communities seeking common paths to peace and development, though the process has not been easy but full of challenges.
The Community of Sant'Egidio is a faith-based organization in Pakistan that focuses on peace, the poor, and prayer. The Community has been active in Pakistan for 10 years and has a presence in several cities.
Founded in 1968 in Rome, the Community of Sant'Egidio is a Christian community. It has since grown to become a network of communities in over 70 countries.
One of their main concerns is to promote peace among various religious communities.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
