President Asif Ali Zardari called for harmony and tolerance on the solemn occasion of Youm-i-Ashur and urged people to watch out for those who were out to destroy sectarian harmony.
In a message on the occasion of 10th Muharram, the President said, "An abiding lesson of Hazrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be pleased with Him)'s supreme sacrifice by enduring heart rendering hardships and embracing martyrdom is that oppression, tyranny, and falsehood must be resisted at all costs."
In standing up to falsehood and tyranny the great Imam willingly sacrificed his own life and the lives of his dearest family members, he said adding, "in doing so he bequeathed a lesson to us to resist, for the cause of truth and justice, oppression and tyranny in whatever form it may rear its head."
The President said standing at the apex of those who have blazed the path with their blood, it is hard to find a parallel example of Imam Hussain's supreme sacrifice in the annals of history. He said tyranny and oppression manifests itself in different forms at different times.
"A tyranny of our time is that unleashed by militants and extremists for forcing their own ideological agenda on innocent and unarmed people," he observed. On the 'Yum Ashur' while paying homage to Hazrat Imam Hussain and the martyrs of Karbala we should also vow to resist the tyranny and oppression of zealots and extremists," the President added.
He said the need for learning a lesson from the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain is greater today than in the past. "I also condemn the sectarian strife and ask the people to rise above sectarianism and forge unity among their ranks," he added.-PR