ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday stated that promoting peace, justice and harmony become a collective obligation of residents, which in the end brought about accomplishing country wide improvement and prosperity. “We ought to stand towards hatred and lift the voice of moderation, as Pakistan’s Constitution is in opposition to extremism and terrorism,” he stated even as addressing the inaugural session of an global seminar titled “The Role of Religions in Fostering Peace, Harmony and Justice.” The occasion became prepared via the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Islamabad, in collaboration with Allama Iqbal Open University, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, University of Management & Technology, Lahore, Gift University, Gujranwala, The Islamic Foundation, UK and Markfield Institute of Higher Education, UK. The minister said the doorways to improvement could be opened by way of selling social harmony, terming the spiritual, ethnic and ideological divide as an ‘impediment’ in the course to progress and prosperity. He stated that Paigham-e-Pakistan (Message of Pakistan) become the street-map to forge extra harmony among religions and various sects and make sure moderation, including: “The message of all religions is based totally on humanity, love and justice.” Ahsan Iqbal highlighted the enduring understanding of faith traditions, emphasizing their typical standards of human dignity, non-violence, and compassion. Drawing on teachings from Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, he said these faiths careworn the need for selling harmonious and revolutionary societies. The day-long event accumulated international and neighborhood speakers, students, religious leaders, policymakers, and civil society participants to speak about religion’s transformative role in tackling humanity’s key demanding situations. Dr Tamara Sonn, Professor Emerita at Georgetown University, Washington D.C., Prof. Khurshid Ahmad, founder and patron-in-leader of IPS, Khalid Rahman, chairman of IPS, and Khurshid Ahmad Nadeem, chairman of the National Rahmatul-Lil-AalameenWaKhatamunNabiyyin Authority, additionally spoke at the occasion. Prof. Khurshid Ahmad emphasized religion’s position in addressing spiritual necessities, calling it a fundamental necessity in the course of records, and warned that cutting-edge civilization’s departure from religion had brought about injustice, oppression and discord. As humanity grapples with materialism, nationalism, and neocolonialism, Prof. Ahmad entreated religion communities to foster harmony via moral appeal rather than coercion, supplying ethical guidance to counter nowadays’s demanding situations. He described Islam’s ideas as fostering progress, justice, and concord. Dr Tamara Sonn highlighted faith’s paradoxical role in conflicts, noting its exceptional capability to resolve disputes regardless of often being visible at their middle. She warned in opposition to non secular nationalism, calling it manipulative and destabilizing, and urged societies to embody general values of justice, humanity, and equality. Stressing the importance of values over identities, she remarked: “It is not the faith we’re born into however the values we embody that define someone’s benefit.” Dr. Sonn advocated interfaith collaboration through a “dialogue of movement” to cope with shared challenges. Khurshid Nadeem underscored faith’s enduring relevance, highlighting secularism’s failure to provide a comprehensive ethical framework. He burdened that religion remained vital to addressing fundamental human desires for which means and steerage, specifically in these days’s ethical disaster. Khalid Rahman accentuated the decisive function of human behavior in shaping religion’s have an impact on, emphasizing that “religions aren’t inherently divisive; their effect relies upon on how they are practiced and interpreted.” He highlighted how faith changed into some time misused to incite violence and exclusion, overshadowing its core values of compassion and justice.
