Foreign delegates pitch for brotherhood

Even as a thick canopy of clouds hung over the venue for the entire day, it did not dampen the spirits of the Ahmadiyya Muslims who gathered in large numbers in Qadian on Day 2 of the 130th annual convention.

The participation of foreign delegates remained the highlight of the day during which which speakers from different faiths and ideologies spoke on the concept of “universal brotherhood and collective harmony”.

Qadian, the birthplace of the community’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, remained the centre of the Ahmadiyya movement till Partition. “Thousands of Ahmadiyyas migrated to Pakistan in 1947. However, they have been deprived of their Constitutional rights because mainstream leaders of Islam never considered them to be Muslims. The others settled in Qadian. The town may not be having the same range of facilities as the adjoining cities of Gurdaspur and Batala but we have ensured that it has a unique character often reflecting its historical and cultural traditions,” said a spokesman.

Several speakers, including those from abroad, exhorted the gathering “to shun the path of violence which was ripping apart the world”. The audience, which listened to the speakers with rapt attention, was told, “the single most toxic malady in the world was the absence of peace and hence every effort should be made to ensure that communal harmony reigns supreme in this world”.

Tomorrow is the last day of the convention. Tradition has it that a majority of the Ahmadiyyas will return to their homes while some will stay back to spend more time with their community.