In August 2011, 2,000 members of Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikh and Buddhist communities gathered at Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan’s House in Islamabad to celebrate national harmony. The ceremony included the reading of a speech by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, regarded as the Father of Pakistan, in which he said that all citizens should be equal and there should be no discrimination on the basis of religion—a dream that is still not realized in Pakistan. The President also paid tribute to the Christian political leadership who worked with Ali Jinnah and voted in favor of Pakistan. There was also a beautiful performance by high school children singing national songs.
On the same evening, Mr. Yousaf Raza Gillani, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, hosted an Iftar dinner, a religious observance of Ramadan where people in the community gather to break their fast together, at his resistance. Eighty people from various fields and religions were invited to share the meal. Father James Channan, URI Regional Coordinator for URI-Pakistan was seated next to the Prime Minister. On August 11, Father Channan met with President Zardari, Federal Ministers and also a few other minority leaders from all over Pakistan, one of a series of consultations he has had with the President on the topic of peace in Pakistan.
