SIALKOT: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the constitution of Pakistan guarantees protection of minorities rights and the government is taking solid measures to ensure it.
He was addressing a ceremony in Sialkot on Sunday.
He said that every citizen living in the motherland indiscriminately enjoys equal status and rights, irrespective of one’s religion or creed.
The defence minister said that a nation is known for its tolerance and treatment towards its minority communities.
He appreciated Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for taking serious measures for protection of minorities as equal citizens of Pakistan and providing relief to them through the Minority Card scheme.
He said that interfaith harmony and integration is necessary for a country, its defence, solidarity and creation of a healthy society.
Earlier, Punjab Minority Affairs Minister Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora highlighted the measures taken by Punjab Government for protection and relief of minority communities.
Earlier, Lamenting that incidents of violence against minorities took place in the country, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday vowed to make the country free from religious hatred and bigotry, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Addressing a function in Sialkot, he said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had always played her role in the protection of the rights of minorities. “The provincial government has got a land reserved for a Gurdawara vacated from the land mafia. It will set a precedent for others to follow,” the minister claimed.
He further said that a large number of people belonging to minority communities lived in Sialkot, and they enjoyed complete religious freedom.
Asif went on to say that every Pakistani; be he or she a Muslim or belonging to a minority community, had the right to live in this country. “In his first address after the creation of Pakistan, Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had guaranteed to minorities their rights,” he said, adding, “A man belonging to a Christian community remained the chief justice of the country. None could doubt his integrity.”
However, he said the conduct of the chief justices during the last 15 years was questionable.
Earlier, Khawaja Muhammad Asif is a Pakistani politician who serves as the Defence Minister of Pakistan from since 19 April 2022, he also has the Responsibility of Federal Minister for Aviation since 11 March 2024. –Agencies
