In Pakistan, Muslims and Hindus pray together against floods

ISLAMABAD - In times of adversity, religious differences are forgotten. In a rare demonstration of communal harmony, Muslims recited the Quran while the minority Hindus gathered for special prayers on the banks of river Indus near Shahdad Kot town of Pakistan’s Sindh province amid the misery of the country’s worst disastrous floods, reports reaching here said.

While the Muslims recited verses from the Quran, the Hindus chanted hymns from the Bhagvad Gita, the reports said. They said the flooding was a result of bad morals prevalent in Pakistani society and it was necessary to pray for forgiveness.

The town has been protected by a temporary embankment erected by the locals.

According to religious leaders, the calamity has brought people from different faiths closer so that they can face the tragedy.

Sindh Food Minister Nadir Magsi visited the area and also joined the prayers. He said that such gatherings were necessary to give strength to the common people.

Pakistan has experienced what have been described as the worst floods in the country’s history. These floods reportedly killed over 1,100 people and devastated large parts of the Swat Valley.