President Asif Ali Zardari has said that 11th of every August was a day to reaffirm our commitment to work for promoting interfaith harmony in the country and to strive for progressive and tolerant Pakistan as envisioned by Father of the Nation.
Addressing the Minorities Day function held at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday, the President reiterated the government's commitment to protect minorities and to ensure that their constitutional rights were safeguarded at all cost and they were fully drawn in the mainstream of national life.
He said that the Day was an occasion to recognise the important role played by the minorities of Pakistan in nation building and to honour the sacrifices rendered by them. The President said that it was also a day to ponder over the problems faced by the minorities and to work together to address them.
He said that Islam lays special emphasis on equal and just treatment of the disadvantaged and the minorities. The Constitution of Pakistan and the UN Declaration of Human Rights protect the rights of the minorities. He said that government was committed to ensuring equal rights for all the minorities. Recognition of and respect for the minorities rights was part of the PPP manifesto.
The President expressed the hope that after passage of 18th Amendment, the provincial governments would continue to ensure equality, freedom and security for all communities so that they could freely profess and practice their religion and also safeguard their legitimate and rightful interests.
The President while expressing determination not to permit misuse of any law against vulnerable groups including the minorities said that he was aware of the issue of misuse of some laws against minorities by vested interests. He called upon saner elements of the society to get together in the fight against extremist mindset who misuse laws. On this day, the President said, we reaffirm that despite belonging to different faiths we are one nation and together we march for a prosperous Pakistan.
The President also paid glowing tributes to late Shahbaz Bhatti, former federal minister for minorities affairs, who was assassinated in March 2011. He said that late Shahbaz Bhatti was an active member of the PPP who struggled for years under the dynamic leadership of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto for restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
The President also inaugurated Shahbaz Bhatti Memorial Trust that has been established by the bereaved family of Bhatti with the objective of establishing such programmes which will help in the economic empowerment, social uplift and mainstreaming of minorities.-PR
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