Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi presented fourth-highest civilian award for promoting dialogue between Muslims and Catholics
By Kamran Chaudhry
The Pakistani government has honored a cardinal with one of the country’s highest national awards for promoting interfaith dialogue in the Muslim-majority nation.
Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori conferred the fourth-highest civilian award, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, on Cardinal Joseph Coutts, the former archbishop of Karachi, on March 23, Pakistan National Day.
He played an important role in establishing interfaith dialogue between Muslims and the Catholic community in Karachi, announced at the award ceremony in the port city.
Coutts was among 104 Pakistanis and foreigners honored with national awards by President Asif Ali Zardari. In Karachi, he was among 12 others who received such awards.
Speaking to UCA News on March 24, Coutts expressed gratitude for the recognition but downplayed its uniqueness.
I am very happy. However, it’s not anything historical. Many people, including nuns have been given different awards already. At least six service men have received Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. Most of them have died, he said.
Church sources say Coutts is the second Catholic clergyman to receive this honor.
Capuchin Father Francis Nadeem, a former executive secretary of the National Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism, received the award twice for promoting interfaith dialogue in Lahore.
Emmanuel Neno, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Commission for Catechetics in Pakistan, said it is a moment of great pride for the Christian community in Pakistan.
For a Catholic leader, such recognition reaffirms the Church’s vital role in fostering unity and mutual respect in our diverse society, he said.
Neno said the cardinal’s contributions serve as a beacon of hope, reminding us that through dialogue and understanding, we can build a more inclusive and tolerant society.
Christopher Sharaf, the Catholic national coordinator of Saiban-e-Pakistan, a state initiative for peace, reconciliation, and reconstruction studies, who recommended Coutts for the award, said, It wasn’t easy.
Sharaf stressed the cardinal’s pivotal role in strengthening interfaith relations at both diplomatic and grassroots levels.
Coutts has been a leading figure — not just among government and diplomatic officials but also in communities like Faisalabad, particularly after the Gojra incident, when Christian anguish was at its peak, and tensions with the majority community were high, he said.
He also commended Coutts for his initiatives for peace in restive Balochistan and the two dioceses of Sindh province.
He has worked tirelessly at both the national and international levels. His efforts have never been about appeasement. He worked to foster social integration and harmony, Sharaf added.
– Source: UCA News, Pakistan
