Message from the Chairman
It is with great pleasure that I observe the many milestones that PIL has been able to achieve in line with the vision, mission and objectives by raising awareness for the significance of interfaith harmony, promotion of peaceful co-existence, access to justice for all, due diligence for rights of the Minorities, provision of equality on the basis of humanity by engaging stakeholders belonging to different walks of life and endeavoring to bring a positive change in their outlook towards these imperative issues.
For the past many decades the need for Interfaith Harmony has been recognised as the way forward for Peace in the world for sustainable development in every domain. However this need strongly emerged on the globe majorly after the incident of 9/11 where the world was divided into different blocks on the basis of religion and religious beliefs. The gap between the people grew rapidly and gave way to religious extremism and sectarian violence which resulted in brutal and unjustified killing of hundreds and thousands of innocent people all over the world.
Unfortunately Pakistan has not been an exception to religious extremism and has witnessed atrocious incidents which not only affected the religious minorities in Pakistan but also the majority population which are Muslim. The heinous crimes committed in the name of religion massacred innumerable households and left behind as aftermath, countless orphans, widows, physically impaired people and homeless families.
Disdainfully not only have we forgotten Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of a secular state where the citizens were to be free to worship their respective religions, we are now partaking in intra-faith and sectarian violence which is resulting in further divides even between people of same religious beliefs. Today rights of the minorities have been disregarded and equality of citizens is of no significance.
PIL has come forward as a movement which believes that true representation of the national flag will only be possible if all citizens of Pakistan are perceived as equal and stand shoulder to shoulder without any discrimination.
PIL’s stakeholders comprise religious scholars, clerics, political workers, journalists, lawyers, academia, students, civil society representatives, and members of corporate sector specifically focusing to promote interfaith harmony, peace and collective wisdom in their respective domains. PIL proudly boasts a nationwide membership of over a million people from all religions based in Pakistan, which is steadily growing. The outreach of PIL encompasses representation from the Federal Capital as well as provincial, divisional, district, tehsil and union council levels. The members belong to all religious faiths and segments of the society and have a staunch conviction that people from different religious beliefs should not be considered as minorities but should be given equal status as all other Pakistanis. They have the right to compete at all levels without bias, prejudice and condemnation as the minorities are an integral part of Pakistan.
I would like to put forward a humble appeal to all citizens of Pakistan to join hands with Pakistan Interfaith League and stand together for making Pakistan as perceived by the Father of the Nation in its true letter and spirit where the Constitution of the country does not discriminate the citizens on the basis of their religion, sex and provincial divides; where the citizens are not victimised on the basis of religion; where the rule of law prevails for all irrespective of their social strata, ethnicities and religious beliefs; where the society does not discriminate people’s talents, abilities and potential on the basis of religion; where the political parties do not undermine the patriotism, wisdom, commitment, dedication, integrity and social standing of the members of the minorities and give them due representation in the mainstream decision making; where members from the Minorities can also be appointed at higher positions at the government level, the Armed Forces, Judiciary, Public as well as other sectors; where there is provision in the Constitution for non-Muslims to hold the office of the President of the State, Prime Minister of the State, Chairman Senate, Speakers National and Provincial Assemblies, Governor and Chief Minister.
As citizens of Pakistan it is our highest obligation to devote our time and energy for building a true democratic Pakistan.
Sajid Ishaq
Chairman Pakistan Interfaith League (PIL)