Pakistanis urged to shrug off wrong, unrealistic attitudes: President and Prime Minister's messages on Eid-ul-Azha

President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have called upon the fellow Pakistanis to purge themselves of the forces that pursue sectarian agendas. They urged them to use the spirit of sacrifice for greater good of people at home and abroad. "We should purge ourselves of forces pursuing the so-called personal, sectarian, ethnic and regional interests and also shrug off the wrong, unrealistic attitudes," President Musharraf said in his Eid-ul-Azha message.
The prime minister in his message said, "We should not only save ourselves from the elements that project differences and hatred, but should also remain ready to face them."
Extending his felicitations to Pakistanis and Muslim Ummah the president said Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated in the spirit of living tradition of submission and obedience to Allah, determination and sacrifice set by Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) who, bowing before the Allah Almighty, offered the sacrifice of his son Hazrat Ismail (AS).
Islam stands for blessings, brotherhood and forbids tyranny, the president said, adding, "We should not shy away from offering any sacrifice for promoting real values and true traditions in the light of lofty and enlightened teachings of Islam."
The president said we should use the spirit of sacrifice for development of the nation and the Muslim Ummah as well as for the betterment of the entire humanity. This is the essence of Islamic injunctions and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).
Focusing on the plight of tsunami victims, he said, it is our religious and moral obligation that we extend our generous support to vulnerable brothers, sisters and children.
"The underlying objective behind the tradition of sacrifice set by Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) is that the rich and affluent people be considerate towards and take care of the deprived, the poor, and deserving segments of the society. The rich should share their joys with the poor and we should also remember our Kashmiri and Palestinian brothers in our prayers," he said.
The president prayed that may Allah Almighty shower real joys of Eid-ul-Azha upon us and enable us to understand the great virtue of sacrifice in its right perspective as well as benefit us with its hidden blessings and rewards.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said, "It is a great blessing of Allah Almighty for providing us another chance to follow the glorious tradition of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS). On this blessed day of Eid-ul-Azha, I felicitate all Muslim brothers and sisters."
"We are thankful to Allah for providing us a chance to follow the Sunnah of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS)," he said, adding that all those who follow this sacrifice and spent money to fulfil this obligation deserve appreciation.
"The most important point to look into on this auspicious day is that we can not get blessings of Allah Almighty by spending money only as Allah does not need blood and meat of sacrifice, but the Allah Almighty wants to induce tolerance and sanctimony among the people through this noble act," Shaukat said.
He said the sacrifice of Hazrat Ismail (AS) is a golden example of sacrifice for mankind. "We need to direct our spirit of sacrifice towards progress, development and betterment of our country, because this is an important element of the teachings of Islam.
"Sacrifice is the real passion and devotion which is the base for brotherhood, unity, forgiveness, love for others and fraternity among the people and these attitudes result in the creation of an exemplary society, the prime minister said.
He said, "The success of humanity lies in the brotherhood, love for each other and tolerance for others. Conflicts between the people are nothing but the destruction of humanity."
The prime minister said, "The Muslim Ummah is the guardian of last message of Allah Almighty and it is the same message which is also called "Deen-e-Hanif". This message provides a base for modern civilisation based on fear of God, piety and dedication to serve the humanity. It also provides a lesson of "live and let live".
"All the Muslims are one identity, and anyone trying to create differences and divisions among the Muslims could not claim himself a Muslim," he said.
"Alhamdolillah, Pakistan has reached at the stage where it can start its journey to self-reliance. There is a need to keep up this pace of development and make sincere efforts that there should be no obstacle in this way. I believe that the current year will be a milestone in the development of the country, InshaAllah".
The prime minister said we should abstain from unrealistic attitude and activities, which are practised for the sake of personal, sectarian and regional vested interests. We should prepare to promote tolerance, brotherhood, unity and harmony among the people, adopt honesty, integrity and sincerity in our personal affairs and remember that without these qualities, a true Islamic society could not be established.