KARACHI: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said that now as the world becomes increasingly polarized, today we need the Sufi, more than ever before.
“We need that universal language of the mystic to unite us, to bridge the gap across religions, cultures and people, to remind us that at our very core, we are all one; we are all the same,” the PPP Chairman stated while addressing 2-day International Sufi Conference organization by Sindh Culture Department in Karachi.
Scholars on Sufism from 12 countries were invited to the Conference to share Sufi pearls with a carefully selected audience. Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, PPP Sindh President and Minister for Food Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Minister Culture Sardar Ali Shah and others also spoke on the occasion.
Welcoming the foreign scholars and other distinguished guests who have travelled to be a part of this conference, Bilawal said, “When scholars of your stature and your beliefs sit together, and deliberate, it brings me great hope for the future of humanity.”
“Sufis have only ever spoken of change through the self. It is only when we conquer ourselves from within that we can hope to change that which surrounds us. I am awed whenever I attempt, in my own meager capacity to learn the ways of Sufism. Such immense power, the Sufi attributes to the Self. The majesty of the all encompassing Self.”
“Centuries ago, it was the Sufis that spread Islam across the Indus valley. Through love and harmony, luminaries like Data sahib, Rehman Baba, Bulleh Shah and their contemporaries strove tirelessly out of sheer devotion to the Deity. And their devotion inspired millions to embrace Islam.”
Sindh is known as the land of the Sufis. From Lal Shahbaz Qalander to Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. From Sachal Sarmast to Shah Ina-yat. We are destined to stand up for the Truth and only the Truth, he added
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari urged the audience to deliberate just how we veered so far from the path of the Sufi, and what’s the shortest and most effective way back. “Because I for one believe with all my heart that the salvation of mankind lies at the hands of the Sufi – for it is only he who has the courage to say “I looked in temples, churches, and mosques. But I found the Divine within my heart.”
“So let’s all search within our hearts and let the journey begin,” the PPP Chairman concluded.