Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari on Tuesday called for unwavering inter-sect unity and coordinated efforts to maintain peace during Muharram-ul-Haram and said that collective commitment of scholars, peace committees and the administration would ensure a secure and harmonious environment across the province.
During her visit to Faisalabad Division, the minister met members of the Divisional Peace Committee and held a detailed discussion on various measures to uphold law & order, strengthen interfaith and inter-sect harmony, and promote brotherhood during Muharram-ul-Haram.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister emphasized that preserving a peaceful atmosphere during the sacred month was a shared responsibility of the government, administration, religious scholars and peace committees.
She said the Faisalabad Division’s Peace Committee had always played an exemplary role in maintaining peace and expressed confidence that it would continue to extend full cooperation to the administration this year as well.
She said that effective coordination among all relevant institutions, district administrations and procession organizers would be ensured to facilitate the peaceful and orderly conduct of Ashura processions and Juma prayers, enabling participants to perform religious observances without any difficulty.
The minister said that strong liaison and continuous communication between peace committees and organizers of religious gatherings were encouraging signs that would play a pivotal role in sustaining law and order during Muharram-ul-Haram.
She stressed that fostering an environment of tolerance, mutual respect and religious harmony remained a collective responsibility of scholars, religious leaders and representatives of all schools of thought.
She said the Punjab government and its institutions were fully mobilized to serve the public and maintain peace, and every possible step was being taken to achieve that objective.
Expressing optimism, Azma Bokhari said that through close cooperation among religious scholars, peace committees, the administration and the public, all Muharram gatherings and processions would be held peacefully, enabling Faisalabad Division to set another example of religious harmony, tolerance and communal cohesion.
Prominent peace committee members including Sahibzada Zahid Mahmood Qasmi, Hafiz Muhammad Amjad, Allama Tahir-ul-Hassan, Hafiz Maqbool Ahmad, Yasin Zafar, Jafar Naqvi, Muhammad Aslam Bhalli, Shahid Razaq, Ashiq Hussain Rizvi, Muhammad Farooq, Syed Muhammad Raza Shah, Amiruddin Rizvi, Mufti Abdul Mueed, Mumtaz Gondal and Mufti Nasiruddin were present in the meeting.
The peace committee members appreciated the special efforts of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for promoting an atmosphere of peace, tolerance and brotherhood across the province during Muharram-ul-Haram and thanked her for the government’s proactive measures.