On November 27, 2025, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Pakistan, together with the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) and the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), held an international round table titled “Interreligious Dialogue: Outcomes of the 8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.”
The event, organized in a hybrid format, brought together around 100 representatives of government agencies, the academic community, religious organizations, experts, and youth from Pakistan.
The guest of honor was Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Sardar Muhammad Yusuf, who headed the Pakistani delegation at the 8th Congress in Astana. He emphasized that the Astana Declaration of Peace 2025 serves as an important guideline for strengthening global harmony based on the principles of peace and mutual respect. The Minister highlighted Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to these principles both domestically and internationally, expressing readiness to expand cooperation with Kazakhstan in scientific, religious, youth, and humanitarian fields.
Welcoming remarks were delivered by President of IRS and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Jawhar Saleem, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin, and Director General of the Islamic Research Institute Professor Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.
Ambassador Kistafin presented the history of the Congress, its goals and objectives, as well as the key outcomes of the 8th forum and the provisions of the adopted final declaration.
Among the speakers were the Minister of State for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Kesu Mal Heal Das, Punjab’s Minister for Minorities Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, and representative of the Church of Jesus Christ Kelly Johnson.
From the Kazakh side, Marat Kalizhanov, Deputy Chairman of the International Center for Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue, participated online. He presented the Center’s work in preparation for the 8th Congress, highlighted the global significance of Kazakhstan’s initiative, and provided a detailed overview of the main provisions of the “Concept for the Development of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions for 2023–2033,” which defines long-term priorities and directions for strengthening interreligious dialogue.
Professor Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, a member of the Congress Secretariat and Goodwill Ambassador, emphasized the importance of Kazakhstan’s efforts to promote interfaith dialogue and spoke about the Secretariat’s work in this area.
Speakers highly praised Kazakhstan’s contribution to the development of a culture of dialogue, stressing the special importance of the Congress in the context of modern global challenges. Participants highlighted the need for further activation of joint efforts between Kazakhstan and Pakistan in the field of interreligious cooperation.
The event concluded with a Q&A session, during which specific proposals were made to further strengthen interreligious cooperation and promote the principles of the Astana Declaration of Peace 2025.
