PM Shehbaz felicitates Hindu community on Holi with call to celebrate ‘differences as strengths’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday felicitated the Hindu community on Holi as it celebrated the occasion across Pakistan, calling for the day to be celebrated with a resolve to “celebrate our differences as strengths”.

In a statement shared by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Shehbaz said, “I extend my felicitations to the Hindu community on the auspicious occasion of Holi festival — the festival of colours.

“As Pakistanis, we take pride in the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious characteristics of our society,” he said.

“Let us commemorate this day with a resolve to celebrate our differences as strengths,” he added.

The prime minister also expressed hope for “new beginnings, hope, and happiness to us all” with the arrival of spring.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari said the festival was symbolic of the triumph of good over evil. In a statement carried by state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, he said that the Constitution guaranteed religious freedom.

“Pakistan is a beautiful bouquet of people belonging to all religions,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also extended her felicitations towards the community.

She also announced a package for the community “on the occasion of Holi” where 700 “Hindu families in the province will be given Rs10,000 per family”.

“The festival of Holi will lead to the promotion of tolerance, peace and brotherhood in the country,” she said, adding that all minorities in the country had equal rights.