President Mamnoon Hussain on Monday said that Pakistan has been a leading advocate of inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue to overcome mistrust and promote understanding and co-operation among various religions and civilizations of the world.
Pakistan would continue to further promote such initiatives, the President emphasised while addressing an Iftar dinner he hosted in honour of ambassadors and diplomats here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. He said that Islam was a religion of peace and "we are strongly committed to peace, both within the country and beyond our borders."
The President highlighted that Pakistan in its quest for peace had lost many dear ones reiterating that struggle for peace would continue till it was attained. He said that the month of Ramazan was not an individual experience adding that it was a time to strengthen and deepen family and communal ties as well as the bonds of association and togetherness. "Ramazan represents sacrifice, patience, tolerance, generosity, and above all peace. These are the values shared by peoples of all faiths", said the President.
The President prayed, "We may get all benefits from the moral and spiritual gifts of Ramazan and derive strength from each other to promote peace, harmony and prosperity in the world." Ambassadors and diplomats, among others, from Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, the Maldives, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Holland, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Philippine, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Somalia, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunis, Turkey, Ukraine, Britain, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen attended the Iftar dinner.
A delegation from European Union and representatives from United Nations and Cyprus also attended the Iftar dinner. Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, Minister for Climate Change Mushahid Ullah Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra were also present on the occasion.