ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday identified ensuring interfaith harmony and freedom of rights for all citizens, especially minorities, as his government’s key priorities as the nation marks Christmas today.
Millions of Christians worldwide celebrate Dec. 25 as the birth of Jesus Christ, marking the day with religious and cultural festivities. The Christian community in Pakistan marks the religious festival every year by distributing gifts, decorating Christmas trees, singing carols and inviting each other to lavish feasts.
Christianity is the third-largest religion in Pakistan, with results from the 2023 census recording over three million Christians, or 1.3 percent of the total population in the country.
However, Christians have faced institutionalized discrimination in Pakistan, including being targeted for blasphemy accusations, suffering abductions and forced conversions to Islam. Christians have also complained frequently of being reserved for jobs considered by the masses of low status, such as sewage workers or brick kiln workers.
“It remains a key priority of the Government of Pakistan to ensure interfaith harmony, protection of rights and freedoms, economic well-being, and equal opportunities for professional growth for all citizens without discrimination of religion, race, or ethnicity,” Sharif said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
