AJK-based Christian Community Starts Preparations To Celebrate Christmas With Due Religious Zeal

The Christmas celebrations formally commenced by the Christian community across the state to celebrate the sanctified festival on December 25 in various parts of AJK, with traditional religious zeal and fervour

MIRPUR ( AJK) : (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point news - 22nd Dec, 2023) The Christmas celebrations formally commenced by the Christian community across the state to celebrate the sanctified festival on December 25 in various parts of AJK, with traditional religious zeal and fervour.

Unveiling the ongoing programs to celebrate Christmas in AJK including in Mirpur district, where a large number of Christians were inhibiting in the adjoining town of Mangla, Supreme Head of Christian Welfare Trust and Women Wing AJK Younis Bhatti said that all preparations to celebrate Christmas have yet been given final touches.

Bhatti said in a detailed interview with APP here on Friday that the religious festival will be celebrated by the Christian community with full traditional religious enthusiasm in AJK including Mirpur district.

In Mirpur, the beginning of Christmas celebrations will be followed by a formal inaugural ceremony to be held at the adjoining town of Mangla (AJK) a day before the Christians sanctified day where the Christian community leader Reverend will formally inaugurate the ceremonies by cutting a Christmas cake and the special prayer service. These ceremonies, he said would continue till December 25, the Christmas day.

Lauding the traditional communal harmony between majority Muslim and the minority Christian communities he pointed out that with the blessings of Allah (Almighty) there had never been any unrest, tension or dispute over any issue or clash between the majority Muslims and the minority Christian communities.

Bhatti said that the festivities of Christmas comprise special prayer services to be held at the local District Council Hall on December 25 besides at their major abode - Mangla with the renewal of the pledge to continue spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ (AS) for maintaining complete harmony, brotherhood and love and affection among the humanity.

''The Christian community in the area will offer special prayers. They will pray for the unity, solidarity, progress and prosperity of Pakistan coupled with the renewal of the pledge to perform an active role for the stability, progress and prosperity of the country", the Christian community leader said.

He elaborated that the major Christmas function in AJK will be held at Mangla (Mirpur) and other places under the auspices of Christian Welfare Trust, the central organization of local Christian community to celebrate Christmas with great enthusiasm and devotion and religious zeal and fervor.

The ceremony will also be attended by a large number of people from all other classes of society as all previous years as all segments of the society have also been invited. The venue of the ceremony will be beautifully decorated with colorful buntings and banners. Special gifts will be distributed among the children and the social workers.

Replying to various questions, the Christian community leader Younis Bhatti said that although the local authorities of AJK government had assured to reserve the site comprising 100 kanal of land for the construction of a Church in Mirpur AJK, in response to the move of the local Christian Community, yet it was the earnest demand of the community to the district administration to expedite the process for allotment of the land at Dhairi Rustam area in outskirt of Mirpur city to ensure the early construction of place of worship for the local Christian community. He said formal handing over of the possession of the site reserved for the Church to the Christian community is much awaited. He thanked the administration for, what he asserted, reserving the site for the construction of a Church, to be first of its own kind in the area, he pointed out.

Bhatti said that there was complete liberty to the minorities including the Christian community following traditional communal harmony between minorities and the majority community in Azad Jammu & Kashmir to perform their religious rights and other traditional and cultural obligations like the majority of the parts of the country.

Talking to APP, the Christian Pastor of AJK and Chairman of Azad Jammu Kashmir Christian Welfare Societ Y M. Gill said that the Christian community will not hesitate to give any sacrifice to make the Kashmir freedom movement a complete success. Since the minorities are bent upon to pay their due share for the achievement of Kashmiris' legitimate right to self-determination, he added.

Gill said that the minorities will bring about all of their potential for the speedy progress, prosperity and uplift of the country and will leave no stone unturned to make the defence of the country stronger up to the required extent.

Participants will also offer special prayers for the speedy progress and prosperity of the country and the early success of the Kashmir freedom movement, he concluded.