Pakistan's religion ministry to address minority safety with interfaith conference on Aug. 30

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's religion ministry will organize an 'Interfaith Harmony Conference' on August 30 to address pressing issues related to attacks on religious sites and the safety of minorities, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said on Sunday. 

Pakistan's religious scholars and leaders have been calling for interfaith harmony after the August 16 attack on members of the Christian community in eastern Pakistan's Jaranwala city. Violence broke out in Jaranwala when according to eyewitnesses, an angry mob armed with knives and sticks set fire to several churches and Christian homes in Jaranwala over allegations two Christian brothers desecrated the holy Qur'an. 

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has vowed to take stern action against the culprits of the violence. Pakistan has arrested over 100 in connection with the violence in Jaranwala and has vowed to protect the lives and properties of its minorities. 

"The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony is holding an ‘Interfaith Harmony Conference’ on Wednesday, August 30, to bring together religious leaders and representatives from various faith communities," the APP said in a report. 

It added that the conference would discuss pressing issues related to attacks on religious sites, desecration of holy scriptures, and the safety of minorities.

The state-run media said that the conference would include representatives from both Muslim and Christian communities, demonstrating their "shared commitment to peaceful coexistence."

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan but no one has ever been executed, although numerous people accused of blasphemy have been lynched by outraged mobs in the past.

A former provincial governor and a minister for minorities were shot dead for trying to reform the blasphemy law.