I CAME across the sweetest picture on social media of a bearded man, wearing a white knitted cap, taking a photograph of presumably his young children in front of the Christmas tree planted in Lahore. It was so heartwarming — and unexpected.

So this photograph of the father and his children in front of the tall, 13-metre tree, which was planted by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s administration, won the internet over with comments like “the country is healing”.

She tweeted how the tree and Christmas celebrations across the province “reflects the message that minorities are not only safe in Punjab but are also valued, respected, and an integral part of the social fabric”.

As one user on X wrote: [It was] “a glimpse of the country Jinnah wanted to see.”

Everyone across the political divide tweeted good wishes for Christians. I hope I live long enough to see the day when Christmas wishes are expressed in a more universal spirit. At the moment, there is apprehension that any sign of inclusiveness can be misconstrued as a disrespect of religious sensitivities. What are those sensitivities? Anything that is seen as a slight to our sentiments that can result in misplaced........

© Dawn