Islamabad:The Interfaith League Against Poverty (I-LAP), a national organisation committed to promoting human rights, interfaith harmony, peace and equality based on our common humanity, officially launched the International Religious Freedom-Peace Builders Forum Pakistan (IRF-PBF Pakistan) in Islamabad, says a press release.
The Forum was launched in connection with Pakistan’s 79th Independence Day, reaffirming the importance of religious freedom, human dignity, equal rights, peaceful coexistence, and the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations on December 10, 1948.
The launch brought together parliamentarians, former military officers, government representatives, civil society leaders, legal experts, academics, media professionals, business leaders, faith leaders, youth representatives, and human rights advocates from across Pakistan.
Sajid Sandhu, Chairman of I-LAP, joined virtually from the United States and was accompanied by Greg Mitchell, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Board Chairman of the International Religious Freedom Secretariat, United States.
Speaking at the launch, Sandhu said the Forum will bring together government institutions, parliamentarians, religious leaders, civil society, academia, media, legal experts, and representatives of religious communities to promote religious freedom and peaceful coexistence.
He emphasized that Article 20 of the Constitution of Pakistan already guarantees every citizen the right to profess, practice, and propagate his or her religion, as well as the right of religious denominations and sects to establish and manage their religious institutions. He noted that the challenge is therefore not simply the absence of constitutional protections, but ensuring their effective and consistent implementation in law, policy, and practice so that every citizen can enjoy these rights equally and without fear.
