Pakistan needs unity: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday said Pakistan needed unity in the current situation and religious leaders would have to play a key role in promoting brotherhood and religious harmony.

Talking to a delegation of Wafaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan, the chief minister said the role of religious leaders was of paramount importance for promoting unity and harmony in the country.

“The menace of terrorism will be eliminated only through the force of unity,” said Shahbaz who added that terrorists neither had any religion nor geographical identity and they were an enemy of humanity.

He said, “Islam gives a message of peace and brotherhood and we have to adopt the way of unity by setting aside our differences.” JUI-F head Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, Minister of State for Religious Affairs Pir Muhammad Amin ul Hasnat, Maulana Hanif Jalandhari, Maulana Amjad Khan, Maulana Dr Atiq-ur-Rehman, Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Sialvi and others were present on the occasion.

Fazl also held a separate meeting with Shahbaz during which they strongly condemned Indian atrocities against the unarmed Kashmiris in Occupied Kashmir and the incidents of unprovoked firing at Line of Control. Matters of mutual interest and the current political situation also came under discussion.

The chief minister said the freedom movement of the Kashmir people could not be suppressed through cruelties. He said everyone, keeping aside personal interests, would have to work jointly for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan. He also stressed the need for promoting a culture of accommodation and decency in the politics.

On the other hand, Shahbaz said “the slain provincial minister Shaheed Col (r) Shuja Khanzada is still alive in our hearts”. “It is our faith that the martyrs never die and remain alive forever,” he said, adding that Khanzada laid down his precious life for the country and the nation.

In a message on the second death anniversary of Khanzada, the chief minister said he was a brave person whose services for eradicating terrorism in Punjab were unforgettable. He said the nation was moving speedily towards the great cause for which Khanzada had sacrificed his life.