Sharif attends Diwali function in Karachi, says he is PM for all Pakistanis

Reiterating his message of unity among all Pakistanis, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended a Diwali event in Karachi on Wednesday, which was organised by Pakistani Hindus.

The festival, which spiritually signifies victory of good over evil, besides reiterating the need for self-improvement, self-awareness and community, marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year.

Sharif used his presence at the event to pay tribute to the services of Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Parsis to Pakistan, and promised that his government would ensure that every citizen of the country is guaranteed his or her human rights, regardless of the faith they practice. He said that as the nation's prime minister, he belonged and worked for all.

"You are residents of Pakistan. Every resident of Pakistan, no matter who it is, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Parsi, no matter who it is, belongs to me, and I belong to them. All of you belong to me, and I am yours. And I meet everyone with that sentiment. I am the Prime Minister of all of you. I am Prime Minister of all people sitting here, whichever religion they belong to. And it is my duty to help everyone. If anyone is a victim of brutality, no matter what religion what sect he belongs to, my duty is to help him. And God willing I will help him," Sharif said to loud applause from the guests.

He also urged the majority Muslim community to distribute happiness among Hindus and other minorities in the country. He warned that if a Muslim was found to be guilty of committing an act of aggression against a Hindu, he would be the first to act firmly against the former.

"If any Hindu is victimized, and the aggressor is a Muslim, I will take action against the Muslim. This is what my religion teaches me. My parents have also taught me this," he said, adding, "Allah does not get happy when we form divisions, when we say so and so is a Muslim, or a Hindu, or a Christian, or a Sikh , or a Parsi. Allah gets extremely annoyed by this. But if have the resolve that we have to take everyone along with us, that we have to share happiness with everyone, even share grief with everyone, and that we have to help the oppressed, and also help one another, I feel that God will be happier about this more than with anything else."

Sharif drew loud applause from Hindus when he asked them to invite him to the next 'Holi' function and throw colour on him.