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.