Punjab Assembly has constituted a Standing Committee for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs (HRMA) on Thursday.
This committee will be comprised of its Chairman Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Minister Khalil Tahir Sandhu it ex-officio, whereas parliamentarians Shehzad Munshi, Kanji Ram, Zulfiqar Ghouri and Shunila Ruth will be the members of the committee.
Notification in this regard has been issued by the orders of Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan last day.
It is pertinent to mention here that no such committee had ever existed earlier in the provincial assembly to consider the affairs of minorities for legislation pertaining to the redressal of grievances of minority communities.
According to a statement, this move came on the suggestions of Khalil Tahir Sandhu, after which the committee was constituted with the consultation of opposition in the assembly.
Sandhu has declared this a ‘minorities-friendly’ and historic initiative by Punjab Assembly, expressing his gratitude on behalf of all the minorities of the province.