ISLAMABAD, Dec 13: Speakers at a workshop on Monday called for bringing about reforms in textbooks aimed at promoting religious harmony in the country.

“All citizen of Pakistan irrespective of their faith should be treated equally as per the guarantee provided in the Constitution of Pakistan”, said Ahmed Salim, Senior Advisor in Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Education and Religious Diversity.

Mr Salim, a recipient of Pride of Performance, said that there should not be any discrimination against the citizens on any ground.

He also introduced training modules for promotion of religious harmony at the three-day workshop, organised by SDPI and Minority Right Group (MRG) of UK.

The workshop is being attended by teachers of various religious faiths from the schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The speakers said that the existing course in our schools is highly predisposed, which is the root cause of increasing prejudice in the society about various religious faiths.

Humaira Ishfaq, Lecturer at IIUI, said the modules developed under MRG project were an attempt to curtail the abhorrence among different religions' group and to bring tranquillity and religious harmony in the society.

She said that pedagogical methods that how these could be constructive in the class rooms to shun the development of repugnance.

The speakers said that the education system in the country had meager curriculum development and the inflexibility of most of the teachers had added to the issue.

It was highlighted that there has to be a formal and proper definition of “Minority” in the constitution and due to absence of impartial governance in the religious affairs, the life of diversified religious groups are treated as the rejected part of the society.

“The failure to provide adequate protection to ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities of Pakistan is an unfortunate aspect of country's legal and political history,” said Afshan Ahmed, research associate at SDPI.

She also highlighted social exclusion, denial of human dignity, partial teaching, abuse of law for self interest, lack of freedom, lack of tolerance and question of value judgment as the crucial factors which were polluting people minds and promoting extremism.

“It is the need of hour to promote justice, equality and respect across the different religions to foster peace and sustainable development in Pakistan.” Ms Ahmed said.

SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Suleri appreciated the role of steering committee of MRG project for their guidance on development of multi faith educational modules for grade 1 to grade 10 students.

He said that the SDPI would continue to support initiatives for religious harmony in the country.

The speakers appreciated, MNA Sherry Rehman, for floating a bill for an amendment in blasphemy law and said the path of religious tolerance would curb extremism and militancy in the country.