Adil Najam
Christmas Greetings from all our Christian readers in Pakistan, and around the world. On this auspicious day, we at ATP join in them in praying for peace and goodwill to all.
Both Owais and I are in Pakistan these days – Owais in Karachi and I in Islamabad – and it was heartening to see Christmas being celebrated with zeal here in Islamabad (especially, a colony where a number of Christians live in F-6 was lit up elegantly and beautifully). Also heartening to me were the photographs above.
I know, I know. Most will say these are PR photos and therefore meaningless. PR photos, they certainly are. But they are not meaningless. The message that is being conveyed is important to convey – and repeatedly – even when those conveying it may be doing so only for political reasons. Because the message spreads. And this message – that Pakistan is a country of all Pakistanis, of all religions and creed – is one that must never be forgotten.
Of the pictures above the one with Prime Minister Gillani is from last week – at a multi-faith Christmas celebration – and the one with Santa Clause and Nawaz Sharif is from last year. Of course, many interesting captions could be concocted about the third photograph but one hopes that the message that we really take is the message that Mr. Jinnah – whose birthday we celebrate today – would have wanted us to take. Pakistan is for all Pakistanis, of all faiths, of all believes, of all creeds.
It is in the same spirit that we also share with you these wonderful pictures of various churches in Pakistan decorated for Christmas this year (churches in Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Islamabad, Nowshehra Virkan, Rawalpindi, and Karachi respectively).
We hope you have seen before our post on the historic and modern churches in Pakistan. If you have not, today would be a good day to do so.
Once again, Christmas greetings from all our Christian readers in Pakistan, and around the world. And praying of peace and goodwill to all.
Merry Christmas, everyone. May the new year be a good one.
Great collection of pictures of churches decorated for Christmas
Merry Christmas and peace and joy to everyone.
If you deem my query inappropriate for the day, please feel free to disregard or even delete it.
I never understood how Jinnah could, with a straight face, say that, Pakistan is for Pakistanis of all creeds, Sikh, Hindu, Christian and Muslim, when the nation he carved out from India was done explicitly for the Muslim of the sub-continent?
If he really wished to see all those religions live in harmony, then why not remain in India and work towards that goal?
Unless he really believed that Muslims are better human beings than Hindus and in a Muslim majority Pakistan, minorities would fare better than in India….
p.s. even though December 25th has nothing to do with Jesus Christ, I wish all those who prefer to believe otherwise, a Very Merry Christmas.
Like the picture of Nawaz Sharif and Santa… somehow seems appropriate :-)
Merry Christmas to all!