Pak PM Imran Khan wishes Hindu community on Diwali

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday extended his good wishes to the Hindu community on the occasion of Diwali, the festival of lights.

“Wishing all our Hindu citizens a happy Diwali,” Khan tweeted. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser also greeted Hindu parliamentarians and the Hindu community.  “Pakistan is a pluralistic country and enriched with cultural diversity,” he said. 

Other key members of the Khan government, including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, also wished the Hindu community a happy Diwali.

“I wish our Hindu brethren a happy #Diwali. May the Festival of Lights usher in joy and prosperity for all of you. May light always have victory over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance,” Foreign Minister Qureshi tweeted.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Shehbaz Sharif also wished the Hindu community on the occasion, asserting that members of the Hindu community are equal citizens of Pakistan, Dawn reported.

Sharif said the rights of non-Muslims were enshrined in the Constitution and guaranteed by Islam, and that members of minority communities have played an important role in the formation, defence, construction and development of Pakistan, the paper reported.

He said that the PML-N would continue to play its role in protecting the rights of non-Muslims. Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also extended his greetings to Hindu communities across the world and in Pakistan.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.

Majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with their Muslim fellows.