Srinagar: Against the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and the following India-Pakistan military tensions, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and Sikh leaders came together for an ‘Interfaith Intellectual Conference’ in Srinagar on June 21 to promote healing, unity, and religious tolerance in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The participants also developed an actionable plan to support villages affected by recent shelling along the border.
The event, organised by the collaborative effort of All J&K Christian Sabha and Interfaith Commission of Diocese of Jammu-Srinagar, was endorsed by the National Dalit Christian Watch (NDCW), Muslim Front, SC/ST/OBC Confederation of India, and the Sikh Intellectual Forum. Leaders across the spiritual, academia, women’s rights, and youth organisations were in attendance.
The gathering stood as a bold counterpoint to the recent wave of violence that shook Kashmir. On April 22, militants attacked tourists in the scenic Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam, killing 26. Among the killed were Hindus and a Christian tourist. With a motive to determine their faith, terrorists forced the deceased to recite the Islamic Kalimah before gunning them down. It was aimed at disturbing communal harmony. The atrocity is one of the deadliest civilian massacres in decades, sending shock waves in India and around the world.
India responded to the terror attack on May 7 by launching airstrikes, targeting terror hideouts in Pakistan. In the following days, tensions escalated across the Indo-Pak border, bringing the two nuclear-armed nations to the brink of a full-scale war. Several villages across the border on both sides suffered, with the loss of lives of civilians and damage to properties.
To show solidarity with those affected and to spread a message of collective hope, Ashu Peter Mattoo, President of All J&K Christian Sabha, organised the interfaith conference under the timely theme of ‘Dialogues to Deeds – Strengthening Inter‑Faith Harmony through Shared Initiative’ to highlight the urgent need for humane and peaceful intitiatives to promote unity and healing.
The conference began with a unified prayer for peace and global goodwill, after leaders from different faiths read out scriptures from their holy books. A Muslim scholar shared an Islamic perspective, calling for empathy and underlining the concept of ‘One Masjid’ to aid and uplift all those in distress. The Sikh side followed by referring to the message of ‘Vand Ke Chakna,‘ sharing one’s labour with others, which underlined selflessness as a cornerstone of societal harmony. Leaders from the Hindu community referenced the Bhagavad Gita, highlighting that inner peace and societal balance begin with self-control and selfless action. A Christian leader quoted from Luke 10:27 (Love your neighbour as yourself), underlining the importance of love and sacrifice as societal virtues.
In the subsequent group discussion, participants discussed actionable initiatives like joint community service drives, public awareness programmes, and educational workshops. A unanimous resolution was passed for the establishment of an ‘Inter‑Faith Peace Forum’, envisioning it as a collaborative platform to combat injustice, defend the rights of underprivileged communities, and raise a collective voice against intolerance, addiction, and fragmentation.
The Inter‑Faith Peace Forum will also coordinate humanitarian outreach, ensuring aid reaches victims of conflict without discriminating against anyone based on faith or ethnicity. Plans are afoot to launch joint educational campaigns to foster religious literacy and dismantle stereotypes in schools and public spaces. The Forum will take steps to bring together youth from various communities to facilitate dialogues to build relationships grounded in mutual respect. It will also raise a collective voice against drug abuse and poverty, grounded in a value-based cross-faith perspective.
In a region scarred by violence and mistrust, this initiative stands as a testament to the power of shared humanity and transcendent faith. When spiritual leaders and citizens across religions speak in one voice against hate, intolerance loses its resonance—and the pathways to peace open.
The Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Indo-Pak tensions that shook Kashmir have also awakened a deeper realisation that unity is our strong weapon against division. Participants said the interfaith conference and the launch of the ‘Inter‑Faith Peace Forum’ reflect a conscious choice of common people to respond to hatred not with force, but with faith; not with division, but with dialogue; not with destruction, but with compassion.
