Religious leaders, government officials and civic representatives called for greater interfaith cooperation, tolerance and mutual respect at a peace conference in Lahore, Pakistan, ahead of the United Nations International Day of Peace.
The Interfaith Peace Conference was held on September 17 at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Pakistan’s leading business organization in the capital of Punjab province. It was organized by the Catholic Commission for Interfaith Dialogue and Ecumenism (CCIDE) and the LCCI Standing Committee on Inter-sectarian Relations.
About 150 participants, including Catholic and Protestant clergy, Islamic scholars, government officials and civic leaders, attended the gathering, held under the 2026 UN theme, “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”
Bishop Yousaf Sohan of Multan, chairman of the CCIDE, presided over the conference and called on religious leaders to take an active role in countering division and promoting peace.
“Peace is not the requirement of a single religion, sect, or segment of society, but a shared need of all humanity,” he said in his address.
“Religious leaders have a sacred responsibility to impart a message of love instead of hatred, forgiveness instead of revenge, and unity instead of division to their followers.”
Bishop Sohan also highlighted the contributions of religious minorities to Pakistan’s social and economic development. He urged religious communities to strengthen grassroots dialogue, address misunderstandings and help create a safer and more inclusive society.
Fr. James Chanan, OP, director of the Peace Center in Lahore, emphasized the importance of interfaith cooperation for national security and development.
“Interfaith dialogue is no longer an option or a mere diplomatic courtesy, it is an absolute necessity for our survival and collective prosperity,” he said.
Fr. Chanan added that when religious, business and civic leaders worked together, they demonstrated their shared commitment to peace and human dignity.
Other speakers included Faisal Karim Kundi, governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, who described interfaith harmony as a matter of national security. He also recalled Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and his August 11, 1947, vision of equal rights and religious freedom for minorities.
Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, condemned forced religious conversions and marriages involving minority women, describing them as contrary to Islamic principles.
Maulana Muhammad Asim Makhdoom, convener of the LCCI committee, stressed that sustainable economic growth, investment and social development depended on mutual respect and the rule of law.
The conference also featured a traditional peace cake-cutting ceremony involving religious leaders and chief guests as a symbol of unity and solidarity.
The gathering concluded with joint interfaith prayers for peace, economic stability and institutional cooperation across Pakistani society.
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