ISLAMABAD: Tahir Ashrafi, adviser to the prime minister on interfaith harmony, termed Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who is currently on a tour to Pakistan, an “ambassador of peace”.
Ashrafi was addressing a banquet he hosted in the honour of the most senior bishop in the Church of England at a local hotel in Islamabad.
Ashrafi said: “This [gathering] is small in size but in fact [is] a big one as a towering figure is among us who is an ambassador of peace. For me, he is a teacher and […] has a leading role in the global perspective for promoting peace and interfaith harmony.”
“This is a blessing [to have] you here in Pakistan that is your own country,” he added.
He said Welby always supported the people encouraging peace and interfaith harmony worldwide.
He observed that during times when it was difficult to speak on matters related to interfaith harmony and dialogue at global forums, the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) lent its voice to the cause.
Ashrafi said he was the only one who spoke openly whether it was the 2012 Rimsha Masih case or the Joseph Colony torching of 2013 or an attack on a minority place of worship because there was an element of fear among the people at the time.
But today, the situation was different, he added.
The official said there were some complaints of instances of forced marriages and conversions but his office had resolved them with his pragmatic approach.
In 2022, not a single case of abuse of blasphemy laws was registered across the country because he had personally investigated every instance.
In 113 cases, Ashrafi said he had ordered to release the accused and remove the cases against them. Now the situation was improving with the passage of time, he added.
Ashrafi said the actual problem behind the fuss was a lack of awareness since people did not fully understand the concept of blasphemy.
He dubbed forced weddings or religious conversions as un-Islamic in nature. All religions preached the lesson of peaceful coexistence and so did Islam, he added.
