PM Nawaz inaugurates restoration of ancient Hindu temple.

KATAS RAJ:  Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Wednesday said safeguarding rights of religious minorities in the country would be ensured and every effort would be made to give them due status in the society.

The Prime Minister, who earlier inaugurated refurbishment, renovation and a water filtration plant at the Katas Raj Temple, said humanity was the greatest religion of all and no one was permitted to discriminate on the basis of caste, colour and creed.

Nawaz Sharif said being the Prime Minister of all Pakistanis, it was his religious obligation to take care of every citizen of the country without any discrimination.

“I am the Prime Minister of all Pakistanis, be it a Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian or any other, you all are equal,” he said.

He said Islam in particular forbade anyone from calling bad names to other religions and their places of worship.

“Salam, Namaste, Satt Sri Akaal and good morning to all my brothers belonging to different religions,” the Prime Minister greeted the audience, receiving a cheerful applause.

Nawaz Sharif said the multi faith gathering was reflective of inter faith harmony in the country. While everyone was free to pursue his particular religions, they all had a common objective of taking care of the humanity.

“We have to work together in unity to build Pakistan and strive for humanitarian causes,” he said.

The Prime Minister said in earlier days of Islam, Muslims being a minority had to face a very tough time and were forced to go in exile, however on their return from Medina becoming a majority, they took good care of people believing in other faiths.

He said Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) entered into several agreements with people of other faiths, including tribes of Yasrab and Jews.

He said it was the moral responsibility of all to keep divine scriptures and religious books in high esteem and regretted that some religious leaders fanned sentiments of hatred among people in sheer misinterpretation of Islam.

The Prime Minister said the history of Katas Raj Temple was over 5,000 years old and was a focal point of four civilizations, including Hinduism, Sikhism, Budhism and Christianity.

He mentioned that Persian scholar and polymath Al Beruni at the same place had computed earth’s circumference.

The Prime Minister specially directed the Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Board to take care of the properties of the minorities and ensure they were in the best possible condition.

He said all efforts must be made to restore the Katas Raj Temple to its original condition so as to preserve its historic significance.

Nawaz Sharif said the religion Islam also forbade people in levelling baseless allegations against others with a malicious intent. Such negative trends, he added, were harming the society and detrimental to progress and development.

He referred to the daily “mud slinging” by some media persons on television and said they were a cause of creating despondency in the nation.

The Prime Minister said when he took over the country was mired in serious issues, however with persistent efforts and commitment, his government was able to successfully tackle those.

He mentioned loadshedding, poor road network, terrorism and several other challenges that were addressed by his government.