Alkhidmat Community Services Program distributes Diwali gifts among 500 flood-hit Hindu families in Sukkur

SUKKUR, Oct 23 (SABAH): Alkhidmat Community Services Program organized special events in temples across Sindh ahead of Diwali festival, distributing gifts containing; food packages, hygiene kits, mosquito nets, shoes and among 500 flood-stricken Hindu families in Sukkur. In addition, set up free Tuck shop for children, distributing cooked-food among the attendees.

Senior Vice President Alkhidmat Foundation Syed Ihsanullah Waqas participated in the event as chief guest while Senior Manager Media Relations Shoaib Hashmi, President Alkhidmat Sukkur Mamoon Bajwa, AlKhidmat Minority Affairs Manager Dr. Shankar Lal and a large number of dignitaries from the Hindu community along with local officials of AlKhidmat attended the event.

Addressing the attendees on the occasion, Syed Ihsanullah Waqas said that celebrating happiness is an unalienable right of all human beings. It is very important that we all should actively participate in celebrations of such people who might be deprived of their happiness for any reason whatsoever, he urged. He also appreciated the Alkhidmat Community Services Program teams, keeping their age-old tradition of spreading the joy of sharing and gifting among Hindu communities ahead of Diwali festival. Prior survey of the areas by the Alkhidmat teams to compile a list of hapless people, ensuring dignified gifts distribution showed their professionalism as well as respectfulness for humanity, he added.

While mentioning the Hindu community role, Senior Vice President Alkhidmat Foundation said that Hindus living in Pakistan are patriotic and are playing their role in the development of the country. For the establishment of peace in the society, it is necessary to discourage religious hatred as much as possible, promoting tolerance, inclusivity and religious harmony, he advocated. One-third of Pakistan is badly hit by the unprecedented floods, also causing severe crises for Hindu communities across the country, he commiserated.

While mentioning the flood-relief activities, Senior Vice President said that Alkhidmat had been providing relief work to all communities across Pakistan on equal grounds without any discrimination of color, caste and religion. He mentioned that Alkhidmat has been serving humanity without any discrimination let it be rescue and relief activities during natural calamities in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Alfalah Alkhidmat scholarship program, clean water and health facilities in Tharparkar, Mowakhat program employment program, Orphans sponsorship under Kafalat Yatama program as well as in community services such as distributions of wheelchairs, winter packages and gifts on festivals of Christmas, Good Friday, Diwali , he continued with the list of Alkhidmat indiscriminating services for all communities of Pakistan.

Pointing towards the importance of such events, Syed Ihsanullah Waqas said that this is a message for the outer world that minorities are equal citizens of Pakistan, where living together all communities of Pakistan stand by one another during times of celebrations and sorrows. Organizations of such special events help promote a sense of safety, security, interfaith solidarity and positivity in the society, he commended. To work together with minorities in a more organized manner to help solve their problems, Alkhidmat has also established a special platform namely ‘Alkhidmat Minority Wing’, involving Christian, Hindu and Sikh members from all four provinces including Azad Kashmir, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan, Karachi and Islamabad, he concluded.

Special events for distribution of Diwali gifts were organized in temples across the province simultaneously in Sukkur, Kandhkot, Thal, Jacobabad, Mirpur Khas, Umarkot and Tando Allah Yar. A total of 2000 food packages, 3700 pairs of shoes and 2000 mosquito nets were distributed during the said events.