Auqaf Hajj Religious & Minority Affairs Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa organized a Pentecost for the Christian community, said an official handout issued here on Saturday.
It was attended by a large number of minority communities including women and children. The Chief Guest of the function was Wazirzada, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Minority Affairs, Minority MPAs Ravi Kumar, Wilson Wazir and Ranjit Singh also attended the function. The highlight of the event was the special participation of Muslim scholars and the Chief Khatib of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Maulana Tayyab Qureshi.
The ceremony began with a recitation after which the national anthem was sung and in respect of which all the participants stood. Various Bishops and Pastors from the Christian community spoke at the event, highlighting the historical significance of Pentecost event and thanking the provincial government.
A variety of Christian prayer sessions were held on the occasion of Pentecost Eid. National songs and school children performed beautiful Tableau during the ceremony. Addressing the participants of the function, Chief Khatib said that holding such events was essential for inter-religious harmony so that extremism could be reduced by bridging the gaps between different religions and meaningful dialogue could be initiated between the religions. During their speeches, various MPAs from the participants of the event welcomed the organization of such events by the provincial government and expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the provincial government for the minorities.
At the end of the function, the Chief Guest, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Wazirzada, while addressing the participants, elaborated on the steps taken by the provincial government for the minorities and expressed the commitment of the government to give all the legitimate rights to the minorities. Shields were distributed among the participants at the end of the ceremony.
