KARACHI: It is vital for any Muslim state to treat its minorities justly and in accordance with Islamic teachings.
These views were expressed by Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair said on Wednesday.
Talking to Sindh’s minority wing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) General Secretary Khaildas Kohistani at the Governor House, he said founders of Pakistan were also absolutely committed to protecting the rights of non-Muslim citizens of the country.
“In fact, they firmly believed in equal rights for all citizens of Pakistan, including religious freedom without any distinction,” the Sindh governor added.
He said, “It was because of their steadfast approach and strength of character that our leaders laid the foundation of a society where religious minorities achieved indisputable success in all fields of life.”
Responding to the complaints registered by the PML-N’s minority wing, in particular, the dearth of development work in their respective areas of residence, the governor said that the federal government accorded top priority to development.
“The constitution of the country extends special concessions to minority communities,” he said.
Elaborating his stance, he said a significant quota had been reserved for non-Muslim Pakistanis in policy making bodies, government departments, educational and professional training institutions etc.
“This is beside the fact that minority members can also contest or apply for open seats on the sheer basis of merit,” he said.
The Sindh governor said that the provincial government was also conscious of problems faced by people in general and this particularly include those representing minority communities.
He assured that laws adopted at the provincial and national assemblies for social rights of non-Muslim communities would be implemented through close coordination among government functionaries, community leaders and public representative of concerned areas.
Khaildas Kohistani appreciated the interest shown by the government towards the issues specific to non-Muslim citizens of the province and hoped that efforts would be made to expedite enforcement of laws adopted for the protection of the rights of minorities.
