All religions teach brotherhood, compassion & caring which needs to be promoted: Chaudhry Salik Hussain

ISLAMABAD, May 29 (SABAH): Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain emphasized that all religions teach brotherhood, compassion, and caring which needs to be promoted.

In a meeting with the Sri Lankan Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs, Vidura Wickramanayake, the minister said preservation of Gandhara culture, art, and structures are being perserved in Pakistan. Minister Salik Hussain highlighted that Pakistan is taking care of many holy places of Sikhs and other religions in Hasan Abdal. The minister said Pakistan will provide vocational training to Sri Lankan students in the medical and religious fields. The number of scholarships for Sri Lankan students is also being increased, added. He said Pakistan is sending its youth abroad on a yearly basis due to limited job opportunities within the country.

Sri Lankan Religious Minister Wickramanayake acknowledged that Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim communities in Sri Lanka are working together to protect sacred sites. He stated that religion is a part of culture, and the culture of Pakistan is very strong. Wickramanayake recognized that Pakistan is a fortunate country with a large youth population (64%), and opportunities should also be created for Sri Lankan youth in the tourism sector in Pakistan.

Meanwhile Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kistafan met Chaudhry Salik Hussain and discussed issues of mutual interest and bilateral relations here on Wednesday. During the meeting, it was agreed to further promote bilateral relations and share Pakistani students data with Kazakhstan so that there is no incident of violence.

Chaudhry Salik Hussain said the concerned authorities of both countries should organize a security dialogue. He said Kazakhstan’s airline can become a means of communication with Pakistan. We can expand the airline business further.

Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kistafan said dealing with Islamophobia is one of the priorities of Muslim countries. Discussion on religious dialogue between Pakistan and Kazakhstan is very important, he added. He said that Kazakhstanis preparing to organize a religious conference next month and added we hope that Pakistan’s participation in the conference will strengthen religious dialogue.