Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday said that promoting peace, justice and harmony was a collective responsibility of citizens, which ultimately led to achieving national development and prosperity.
“We must stand against hatred and raise the voice of moderation, as Pakistan’s Constitution is against extremism and terrorism,” he said while addressing the inaugural session of an international seminar titled “The Role of Religions in Fostering Peace, Harmony and Justice.”
The event was organized by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Islamabad, in collaboration with Allama Iqbal Open University, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, University of Management & Technology, Lahore, Gift University, Gujranwala, The Islamic Foundation, UK and Markfield Institute of Higher Education, UK.
The minister said the doors to development could be opened by promoting social harmony, terming the religious, ethnic and ideological divide as an ‘obstacle’ in the path to progress and prosperity.
He said that Paigham-e-Pakistan (Message of Pakistan) was the road-map to forge greater harmony among religions and various sects and ensure moderation, adding: “The message of all religions is based on humanity, love and justice.”
Ahsan Iqbal highlighted the enduring wisdom of faith traditions, emphasizing their universal principles of human dignity, non-violence, and compassion.
Drawing on teachings from Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, he said these faiths stressed the need for promoting harmonious and progressive societies.
The day-long event gathered international and local speakers, scholars, religious leaders, policymakers, and civil society members to discuss religion’s transformative role in tackling humanity’s key challenges.
Dr Tamara Sonn, Professor Emerita at Georgetown University, Washington D.C., Prof. Khurshid Ahmad, founder and patron-in-chief of IPS, Khalid Rahman, chairman of IPS, and Khurshid Ahmad Nadeem, chairman of the National Rahmatul-Lil-AalameenWaKhatamunNabiyyin Authority, also spoke on the occasion.
Prof. Khurshid Ahmad emphasized religion’s role in addressing spiritual requirements, calling it a fundamental necessity throughout history, and warned that modern civilization’s departure from religion had led to injustice, oppression and discord.
As humanity grapples with materialism, nationalism, and neocolonialism, Prof. Ahmad urged faith communities to foster harmony through moral appeal rather than coercion, offering ethical guidance to counter today’s challenges.
He described Islam’s principles as fostering progress, justice, and harmony.
Dr Tamara Sonn highlighted religion’s paradoxical role in conflicts, noting its unparalleled potential to resolve disputes despite often being seen at their core.
She warned against religious nationalism, calling it manipulative and destabilizing, and urged societies to embrace universal values of justice, humanity, and equality.
Stressing the importance of values over identities, she remarked: “It is not the faith we are born into but the values we embody that define a person’s merit.” Dr. Sonn advocated interfaith collaboration through a “dialogue of action” to address shared challenges.
Khurshid Nadeem underscored religion’s enduring relevance, highlighting secularism’s failure to provide a comprehensive moral framework.
He stressed that religion remained essential to addressing fundamental human needs for meaning and guidance, especially in today’s moral crisis.
Khalid Rahman accentuated the decisive role of human behavior in shaping religion’s influence, emphasizing that “religions are not inherently divisive; their impact depends on how they are practiced and interpreted.”
He highlighted how religion was some time misused to incite violence and exclusion, overshadowing its core values of compassion and justice.
