Daily Times

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Sardar Muhammad Masood Khan has reaffirmed that promotion and protection of the rights of minorities was top priority of the government. He said that an effective strategy has been evolved to stem abuse of laws for settling disputes and personal feuds.

Ambassador Sardar Masood Khan made these remarks addressing a gathering of over 100 Pakistani American Christians who had gathered to meet him at Mar Thoma Church in the Greater Philadelphia Region. The Ambassador said that the incident in which Nazir Masih was killed was strongly condemned by the government and the civil society. The Police response was quick and 09 members of Nazir Masih family were saved. Unfortunately, Nazir Masih could not survive. He said that a strategy was being evolved to stop such incidents from happening in future. The Ambassador assured the gathering of the transparent investigation into the incident and that the justice would be served in the case. “The concerns of the Christian community will be addressed with full vigor,” stated Ambassador Masood Khan.

Sardar Masood Khan also reassured the community of the physical and economic wellbeing of victim family in Sargodha. Christians, he said, are an integral part of the societal fabric of Pakistan, and their contributions to the nation’s development are invaluable. Ambassador Khan called for joint efforts to promote inter-faith cooperation. He underscored the need for mutual respect and understanding among different faiths to build a more harmonious and inclusive society. Masood Khan also highlighted various legislative and administrative steps including the law against forced conversion, child marriages and discrimination against any vulnerable group. “Jaranwala incident had shocked the entire nation. The President, Prime Minister, Army Chief, Chief Justice of Pakistan, all travelled to Jaranwala to express solidarity with the victims.” “The entire nation had unanimously condemned that outrageous crime against humanity,” said the Ambassador. He recalled that Ahl-i-Hadees had also offered their mosques to the Christian community to worship till their churches were rebuilt. “That is real Pakistan,” said the Ambassador. “We will continue to follow policy of zero-tolerance for such crimes,” emphasized the Ambassador.

Addressing the issue of hate speech, Masood Khan noted that Pakistan would continue to counter and penalize hate speech. He also highlighted the measures being taken to improve police response to such incidents in order to reduce fatalities and enhance community safety. “Better police response is crucial in minimizing casualties and providing timely assistance to those in need.” He thanked Aaron Bashir, Pastor Ilyas, Irfan Khan, and all religious leaders for providing him with an opportunity to interact with Pakistani-American Christian community. “I stand by you. We will always be with you. Pakistan is with you. Your complaints are our concerns and it is our collective responsibility to redress them,” concluded the Ambassador.