LAHORE, June 22: Speakers at a convention said on Friday that Pakistan could not survive without promoting religious tolerance among all communities, says a press release.

The convention titled `Ending Religious Discrimination and Violence: Stakeholders Responsibilities` was organised by the Centre for Human Rights Education (CHRE) with the Peace and Tolerance Alliance (PTA).

CHRE Director Samson Salamat spoke on recent incidents of discrimination and hatred against the minorities in the country.

Retired justice Nasira Javed Iqbal stressed the need for changing theConstitution. She said while extremists were killing and terrorising the people for their vested interests, the state was following the policy to appease them.

Hazara representative Aftab Husain Dost shared the worst sufferings of his community. He criticised the state for its criminal negligence and silence on the killings of Hazara people in Quetta.

Lawyer Rabia Bajwa, Mahboob Ahmad Khan, Amarnath Randhawa and Salman Abid also spoke.

Prominent poet Baba Najmi recited some of his poems pregnant with religious harmony.

The convention demanded the inser-tion of Muhammad Ali Jinnah`s speech of Aug 11, 1947, in the Constitution.

It said discrimination on the basis of religion, caste or creed should be removed from the Constitution, laws and policies. The elements involved in spreading religious hatred and discrimination must be treated according to the laws and ban on propagation of hatred should be implemented.

It sought for the elimination of religious biases from curricula, developing a monitoring system to check such a hatred material and making legislation to address forced conversion.