KARACHI: The Ambassador at Large for Global Peace & Human Rights Imam Allama Muhammad Ahsan Siddiqui, Chairman Interfaith Commission for Peace & Harmony (ICPH) today issued the following statement on Nowruz.
Today, over 300 million people around the world, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Zoroastrian, Bahá’Ã, Central Asian, and Ismaili communities celebrating Nowruz.
Nowruz – which means ‘New Day’ in Persian – marks the first day of spring and is celebrated as the beginning of the New Year. A time of renewal and new beginnings, Nowruz is also an opportunity to reflect on the difficulties of the past year, which was made particularly challenging by the COVID-19 pandemic, and share aspirations of hope and optimism for the year ahead.
Today, families and friends gather around the haft-seen table to share festive meals and appreciate life’s many gifts, while celebrating new beginnings and embodying the core values of compassion, peace, and acceptance at the heart of Nowruz.
Nowruz is an opportunity to recognize the many communities that observe this day, and the important contributions that they make to our country. Religious freedom and Diversity is our country’s strength, and together we will persevere to build a stronger, fairer Pakistan for all.
On behalf of Interfaith Commission for Peace & Harmony (ICPH), Albaraka Trust International, URI Karachi family, I wish everyone celebrating joy, peace, health, harmony and prosperity, and a happy year full of goodness and safety.
