Director of Interfaith Relations (MQI) Sohail Ahmad Raza has felicitated Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shah, Catholic Church, on his appointment as Archbishop by the Vatican City. The MQI’s felicitation message was conveyed in an interfaith consultation moot held under the banner of National Peace and Interfaith Network Pakistan. Sohail Ahmad Raza gave proposals on behalf of MQI to promote and expand cultural relations amongst various faiths and avoid any untoward incidents with a potential to rupture the religious harmony in Pakistan.

Sohail Ahmad Raza also gifted Sebastian Francis Shah with a copy of historic Fatwa against Terrorism and Suicide Bombings authored by Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. Speaking at the occasion, he said that poverty, ignorance and social backwardness was at the heart of social disorder and lack of religious tolerance. He said that we would have to struggle jointly to improve the current system in the country in order to put an end to all kinds of divisions and inequalities. He said that MQI considered the protection of rights of the non-Muslims as enshrined in the Constitution and elimination of social inequities as our moral, national and religious obligations.

Sohail Ahmad Raza said that the biggest problem of the country was terrorism, adding that all resources should be used to seek a permanent end to this scourge. He said that Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri was waging sustained intellectual and scholarly struggle for elimination of terrorism.

The meeting was attended by all key faith leaders including Dr Rohya Mufeedi, Sardar Tranjeet Singh, Dr James Chanan, Dr Marqis Fida, MPA Dr Tariq Masih Gill, Javed William, Pandit Bhagat Lal, Allama Zubair Ahmad Zaheer, Allama Naqvi, Allama Pir Shafaat Rasool, Mufti Ashiq Hussain and Allama Abdul Wahab Rokri.