KARACHI, Oct 24: The Hindu community in the city, like everywhere else around the globe, will celebrate their annual festival of lights, Diwali today.

The Hindus will mark this festival by lighting lamps and distributing sweets.

All the temples in the city will organize special prayer congregations on the eve and the main ceremony will be held at the Swami Narayan Temple, opposite to the old KMC head office, on M. A. Jinnah Road in the evening.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, in his massage, greeting the Hindu community no the eve, said that all of us must share the happiness of the festival, agencies add.

In his Diwali message, he said that at the birth of Pakistan it was pledged that the people of different religions would be given equal rights, as Islam taught respect for all.

Calling for unity among the people of Pakistan, he urged them to work jointly for the development and progress of the country.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Khan Mahar, extending greetings to the Hindu community, assured the minorities that the government would protect their rights and resolve their problems on priority basis.