Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has said that in pursuit of peace and prosperity, Pakistan had made tremendous sacrifices which needed to be acknowledged. Ashraf said this while addressing the 9th Asia-European Meeting Summit, which was attended by prime ministers and head of states of 49 countries, as per reports. Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has said that in pursuit of peace and prosperity, Pakistan had made tremendous sacrifices which needed to be acknowledged. Ashraf said this while addressing the 9th Asia-European Meeting Summit, which was attended by prime ministers and head of states of 49 countries, as per reports. Ashraf said the security situation in the region, caused by the fallout of three-decade-old conflict in Afghanistan, had deprived the people of the level of prosperity they deserved.
"Peace is a prerequisite for prosperity because the region``s enormous potential will remain underutilised if an atmosphere of conflict and tension continues to prevail," he said. "As we move ahead, new challenges are emerging, disturbing peace and harmony," he said, adding it was important that all religions and their followers were accorded the respect they deserved.
He said it was unfortunate that while misusing freedom of expression, some individuals had tried to trespass the threshold of decency and in the process sought to cause misunderstanding between the followers of different religions. Ashraf said the trend would be seen as another kind of extremism and, therefore, was neither desirable nor welcome. "All religions teach tolerance and accommodation. We need to inculcate, promote and respect these values," he added.
ANI