Christians all over the world including Pakistan are celebrating Easter with zeal and enthusiasm on Sunday.
Special prayers will be organised at churches across the country for the progress, prosperity, and security of Pakistan.
Law enforcing agencies have taken special measures to ensure fool-proof security on the occasion.
The Ministry of Interior has announced an optional holiday for the Christian community on April 17.
Shehbaz greets Christians on Easter
Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the Christian community on the occasion and said the nation shares the Christian community’s happiness.
“Easter is an occasion to share happiness and joy with deserving people. Sharing the joys of others multiplies happiness,” CM Punjab said.
Stressing on the need to promote inter-religious harmony, Sharif said, “We need to promote the message of love and harmony everywhere today.”
In his message on the eve of Easter, the chief minister said that the Christian community was playing its role in the development of the country. He said that brotherhood, harmony, peace, love, and affection were the gist of the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Pope Francis’ message at Easter Vigil
Pope Francis, leading the world’s Roman Catholics into Easter, urged them on Saturday not to ignore the plight of immigrants, the poor, and other vulnerable people.
Read more: Feel the pain of the poor and immigrants, pope says at Easter Vigil
In his homily at an Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis recounted the Biblical account of Jesus Christ’s mother Mary and Mary Magdalene, filled with grief, as they went to visit his tomb.
Their grief, he said during the solemn ceremony, could be seen on the faces of many women today.
“In their faces we can see reflected all those who, walking the streets of our cities, feel the pain of dire poverty, the sorrow born of exploitation and human trafficking,” he said.
“We can also see the faces of those who are greeted with contempt because they are immigrants, deprived of country, house and family. We see faces whose eyes bespeak loneliness and abandonment, because their hands are creased with wrinkles.”
Security arrangements
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh AD Khawaja on Saturday directed the police to make tight security arrangements across the province for Easter.
He instructed zonal and district police officers to coordinate with the managements of all churches in the province to ensure proper security arrangements such as walkthrough gates and metal detectors were in place.
Read more: Intel agencies foil major terror bid in Lahore planned for Easter
The IGP Sindh said that the beginning of overall security actions would start from Saturday night while patrolling and random snap checking should be ensured around churches and other prominent public places across the province.
Over 8,000 police personnel were posted in churches across Punjab to ensure the security of all those observing Easter.
