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President and PM greet Christians on Christmas
APP
ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday extended their heartiest greetings to the Christian brethren all over the world and in particular to those living in Pakistan on Christmas being celebrated today (Wednesday).
In his message, the president said Christmas, the commemoration of birth of Jesus Christ, was an occasion to celebrate and rejoice.
“It is an occasion to revert to the message of Jesus Christ – the eternal message of love, peace, tolerance and compassion for humanity. It is time to re-dedicate ourselves to these noble ideals and work individually as well as collectively for the betterment and welfare of humanity and to contribute our share in making the world a better place to live,” he said.
The president said Jesus Christ showed people the path of virtuous living and urged them to turn to God for seeking divine mercy. “We, as Muslims deeply revere Jesus Christ as one of the great messengers of Allah Almighty. His teachings and his message of love and peace is as relevant to us as it is to our Christian brethren. Indeed, his message of love, compassion and sacrifice is relevant to the entire humanity,” the president said. He reiterated that the government of Pakistan would continue undertaking every possible effort for the welfare and betterment of minorities in the country.
“In this pursuit, we are guided by the teachings of our religion, the vision of our forefathers and the dictates of our constitution that safeguards interests of minorities,” he added.
President Mamnoon said the government would continue to fully protect and safeguard the rights and privileges enjoyed by the minority communities and would facilitate them in every possible manner to lead a prosperous life. He said that being equal citizens of state, the government would also continue facilitating minorities in availing all the opportunities for their welfare and contribute towards the national development process according to their abilities.
“On this occasion, I would also like to record my appreciation of the valuable contributions rendered by our Christian brethren towards socio-economic development of the country,” he said. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also congratulated the Christian community on Christmas. In his message, the prime minister congratulated Christians in Pakistan as well as throughout the world on the auspicious occasion.
“The Jesus Christ was sent to this world as a symbol of peace, brotherhood and respect for the entire humanity. He not only healed the ailing humanity but preached the divine values of tolerance, love and compassion,” he said.
The prime minister said the constitution of Pakistan envisaged equal rights to all citizens and provision of safety and security of life, property and honour of every citizen was a fundamental duty of the state irrespective of caste, creed or religious belief.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk