Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that the provincial government provides equal education and employment opportunities to all brothers and sisters belonging to the minorities. “Minorities enjoy equal rights in Pakistan according to the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. We stand united under one flag,” she said in her message on National Minorities Day. Maryam Nawaz further stated, “I salute every brother and sister of Punjab belonging to the minorities. Quaid-e-Azam had declared all the citizens free to visit their worship places. Equality, tolerance and patience aptly define democracy. Every citizen holds an equal status irrespective of their religion, caste and creed. All the citizens are beautiful and colourful flowers of a bouquet. Pakistan belongs to everyone and is equivalent to a land of heaven.” “I while delineating Punjab’s road map during my maiden speech declared the minorities as very dear to our hearts” she said and added that Easter was celebrated along with the Christian community in the Maryam Abad church on the eve of Easter Day and 10,000 Christians were awarded eidi.”

The chief minister said that she visited Kartarpur and harvested wheat on the eve of Vaisakhi and took the langar of Sangat. Punjab holds a unique distinction of being the first province across the globe to enforce registration of the Sikh Marriage Act and work on Hindu Marriage Act and Christian Personal Laws was ongoing which will be submitted in the assembly soon, she added She noted that the Punjab government for the first time allocated a record budget for the minority communities worth Rs 3.66 billion. Over Rs 4000 million development budget has been allocated for the Minority Affairs department and Rs 2500 million Minorities Development Fund has been allocated as well.  Maryam Nawaz said that a special quota was being ensured for the minority communities in the government employment and educational institutions. “I along with President PML-N Muhammad Nawaz Sharif went to the residence of a Christian sanitary worker to offer condolences over his sad demise. Numerous Christian officers and staff are diligently performing their duties in all government offices including the Chief Minister’s Office,” she said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan