Christian community marks Easter in KP

PESHAWAR: The members of the Christian community on Sunday marked the Easter festival by attending special mass with the standard operating procedures in view of the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The main function was arranged at the 170-year-old St John’s Cathederal Church in Peshawar Cantt, which is the oldest in the city as it was constructed between 1851 and 1860.

Hymns praising God’s glory were sung on the occasion. Special prayers were also offered for the integrity and prosperity of the country on the occasion.

Those who had gathered at the main hall of the cathedral were wearing facemasks and observing social distancing to stem the viral infection. The Rescue 1122 service staff had specially disinfected the place of worship the previous say.

A social organization for youth development, “Bargad”, arranged a function to mark the occasion. The youth from other faiths attended the programme as well to express solidarity with the Christian community. In attendance were also social, political figures and journalists.

Minority Member Provincial Assembly from KP, Wilson Wazir, in his speech laid stress on religious harmony.

“All youth will have to work in unison for the country’s development and national cohesion by putting aside religious, ethnic and linguistic biases,” he added.

The legislator said the minorities enjoyed all rights in Pakistan and the present government was taking more steps towards that end.

Other speakers, including Augustan Jackob, Zeeshan Yaqoob, Shahan and Naqash Bhatti stressed the need for highlighting the contributions of the minorities to the country’s development in the textbooks and said the dialogue was needed to achieve an inclusive society.

A cake was cut at the end of the function and special prayers offered for the integrity of the country.

Events in connection with the Easter were also held in various of the districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.