LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar on Tuesday assured religious leaders of the Christian community that he will use his influence to restore the control of all missionary-founded educational institutes to the church.
The governor gave the assurance during a meeting with the Anglican Archbishop of North America Most Reverend Dr Foley Beach and National Council of Churches in Pakistan President Bishop Dr Azad Marshall at the Governor’s House.
Governor Sarwar acknowledged the services of the Christian community in promoting education in Pakistan and said he believed that the colleges and schools founded by foreign missionaries would serve the nation better if the community runs the institutes themselves.
He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was committed to protecting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan and the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor for the Sikh pilgrims was a testament of its efforts.
Archbishop Dr Foley and Bishop Azad lauded the government’s efforts and said they expected that the State would also recognize the contributions made by the Pakistani Christians and help them in promoting education in the community.
They said that the main challenge facing the marginalized community was addressing poverty and unemployment for which provision of quality education was necessary.
“Forman Christian College University (FCCU) is a shining example of quality education. We hope to put all missionary-founded educational institutes on their feet just like FCCU so that more Christian students belonging to poor families may also get an opportunity for a better future,” said Dr Azad.
The governor asked the visiting church leaders to formulate a working paper on the basis of which the government could extend its cooperation in all issues related to the Christian community.
