Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Tuesday that Pakistan People’s Party had strived hard to eliminate the word minority from the narrative and instead address minorities as non-Muslim Pakistanis.
He said this while addressing a group of students comprising children of non-Muslim Pakistanis who were awarded scholarships under a special scheme to encourage education among non-Muslim citizens of the country.
The Prime Minister said the constitution of Pakistan envisaged that we were all Pakistanis irrespective of our cast, colour and creed.
“It is therefore the duty of the state to provide them with basic facilities like education, without any discrimination,” he said.
“There can be no discrimination among citizens who raise the same flag, as every citizen enjoys equal rights under the constitution” said Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.
He said, “It is the duty of the state to protect the fundamental rights of the citizens.”
Welcoming the children at the Prime Minister’s House, Ashraf urged them to work hard for the glory of the nation by proving themselves as able citizens of the country. He expressed confidence that the children who had been awarded scholarships would immensely benefit from the scheme. It may be mentioned that the Federal Government had allocated Rs 23.7 million for 3761 eligible non-Muslim students. The function was also attended by Paul Bhatti, advisor to PM on national harmony and Akram Masih Gill, MOS for national harmony.
Minorities should be called non-Muslim citizens:PM
