Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has assured the minorities that the PML-N government will fulfil the promise that was made to the non-Muslim citizens by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his historic address on August 11, 1947.
“We will make Pakistan such a tolerable society where basic rights of every citizen are protected and where all Pakistanis, either they are Muslims or non-Muslims work collectively for progress and prosperity of the country,” the Prime Minister said in his message on the occasion of “Minorities Day” being observed on August 11.
He said that it was on this day in 1947 when Quaid-e-Azam in his historic address to the Constituent Assembly outlined the contours of a modern and tolerant Pakistan in which people of all faiths would have equal rights and opportunities. He said the vision of a tolerant and modern Pakistan was also embodied in the consensus Constitution of 1973.
Besides this, the Prime Minister said that the minorities in Pakistan had worked shoulder to shoulder with their majority in all walk of lives. Their contributions in the social sector in general and health sector, in particular, were admirable, he added. The Prime Minister said those living in majority in Pakistan were bound to fulfil the promise made by the Quaid-e-Azam with the minority communities on August 11, 1947.
He said rights of all citizens in Pakistan were equal and it would be ensured as a citizen and as a state to accord equal treatment to all the citizens irrespective of their religion, caste and creed. In this connection, the Prime Minister said the government was aware of its responsibility to protect the rights of minorities at all costs.
He said the government had taken a number of steps for the welfare of minorities by allocating five percent quota in jobs for them at the federal level, besides allocating seats in the Senate, National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies according to their population ratio.
The Prime Minister said religious festivals of the minority communities were also being celebrated at the government level.