Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday felicitated the Hindu community on Holi as it celebrated the occasion across Pakistan, calling for the day to be celebrated with a resolve to “celebrate our differences as strengths”.
Holi has become one of the well-recognised cultural and religious events across the planet. While the global status it has received might be new, the festival of course has historical significance in South Asia, including what is now Pakistan, where it originated from.
The festival lasts for two days, starting on the Purnima – the day of the full moon – in the month of Phalgun of the Sindhi-Hindu calendar, somewhere between February and March of every year. Holi signifies the victory of good over evil; it also marks the arrival of spring. This year, the date fell on the 25th of March.
In a statement shared by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Shehbaz said, “I extend my felicitations to the Hindu community on the auspicious occasion of Holi festival — the festival of colours.
“As Pakistanis, we take pride in the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious characteristics of our society,” he said.
“Let us commemorate this day with a resolve to celebrate our differences as strengths,” he added.
The prime minister also expressed hope for “new beginnings, hope, and happiness to us all” with the arrival of spring.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari said the festival was symbolic of the triumph of good over evil. In a statement he said that the constitution guaranteed religious freedom.
“Pakistan is a beautiful bouquet of people belonging to all religions,” the statement quoted him as saying.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also extended her felicitations towards the community.
She also announced a package for the community “on the occasion of Holi” where 700 “Hindu families in the province will be given Rs10,000 per family”.
“The festival of Holi will lead to the promotion of tolerance, peace and brotherhood in the country,” she said, adding that all minorities in the country had equal rights.
Meanwhile In Karachi on Sunday night, the eve of Holi, adult and child devotees celebrated by spraying colored powder solutions into the air and smearing it on each other’s faces. Water guns and water-filled balloons were used to play and color each other, with anyone and any place considered fair game for spraying.
Visitors to homes were served with Holi delicacies such as gujia, shakkarpaare, matri, and dahi-bada as well as desserts and drinks. People also gathered around a lit bonfire, symbolizing the victory of good over evil and removal of the old and the arrival of the new. Various rituals were performed around the fire such as singing and dancing.
“May God keep peace [in Pakistan] and like the Holi festival, may He bring colors of happiness to our lives, our community, Pakistani society, and the life of every citizen, bring colors of peace and prosperity and we stay away from adversity and calamity,” Hindu devotee Seema Maheshwari said on Sunday night as she celebrated Holi with her family.
Former premier and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif also posted a “Happy Holi” message on his account on social media platform X.