Muslim Council Of Elders Organises Interfaith Iftar For Religious Leaders In Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 23rd Mar, 2025) The Muslim Council of Elders organised a communal Iftar for religious leaders and figures in Pakistan, attended by a large number of prominent leaders and representatives from various faiths, as well as ministers, officials, and academics.

The initiative comes as part of the Council’s mission to promote the values of dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and human fraternity.

Now in its second consecutive year, the Iftar gathering witnessed the participation of distinguished figures, including Makhdoom Zada, Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province; Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, former Federal Minister for Religious Affairs; Rt. Reverend Nadeem Kamran, General Bishop of the Evangelical Church in Pakistan; Ayatollah Javed Iqbal, a prominent Shia scholar; Dr. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Institute; Haroon Sarab Diyal, Hindu leader and President of the Pakistan World Religion Foundation; Dr. Qibla Ayaz, former Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology; and Professor Dr. Kalyan Singh, a Sikh academic.

The event also welcomed representatives of religious minorities such as Arun Kumar, Coordinator of the Hindu Council; Sardar Ranjit Singh, former member of the local parliament; and Christopher Sharaf, Coordinator of the Saiban Pakistan programme for Christian minorities.

Among the attendees were also a number of prominent academics, including Dr. Rashid Ahmad, Director of the Sheikh Zayed Islamic Centre in Peshawar; and Dr. Muhammad Abdullah, Director of the Sheikh Zayed Centre at the University of Lahore.

The event drew university presidents, cultural and media figures, and representatives from the ministries of endowments, religious affairs, environment, and education, as well as youth representatives from various religions and international organisations operating in Pakistan.

This gathering reaffirms the Muslim Council of Elders’ commitment to fostering interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding. It is part of a broader series of initiatives by the Council aimed at establishing global peace through dialogue and cooperation among followers of different religions and cultures.