The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) will hold a public meeting on August 11 at the Minar-e-Pakistan to promote religious harmony and provide equal rights to minorities.
All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) Chairman Shahbaz Bhatti told this in a press conference here with Zahid Awan, MPAs Pervaiz Rafique and Najmee Saleem and Legal Co-ordinator Azra Shuja of the alliance.
He said August 11 would show that the people of Pakistan is against religious extremism. People from all walks of life including politicians, educationists, writers, journalists and members of civil society will participate and renew their pledge that they will make Pakistan progressive and moderate state. They will also pledge to end religious extremism from the country and will make Pakistan a democratic country. He said the alliance was struggling to end the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Shahbaz Bhatti demanded that the government give the minorities their right share in the government and policy-making organisations. The government should increase the number of seats of minorities in the National Assembly and minorities should be given been representation in the Senate on reserved seats. He also demanded that the government has establish a national commission on religious tolerance to create religious harmony. "We also condemn suicide bombing and no religion in the world will support extremism and suicide bombings."
Shahbaaz Bhatti said minorities played an important role in the independence struggle of Pakistan, boundary commission and partition of Punjab with their Muslim brothers. He gave a reference of the Quaid-e-Azam's speech on August 11 in which he laid great stress on giving equal rights to the minorities and said the minorities will be given equal rights and in the same way all the citizens of Pakistan will be given equal rights irrespective of their cast, creed or religion.
He said after the creation of Pakistan minorities role was also very important especially in the fields of education, health and defence. He said their bright future are associated with strong and prosperous Pakistan because they have to live and die with Pakistan. He criticised the discriminatory rules made during the Zia-ul-Haq's regime.
At the end there was a one-minute silence for journalist Aziz Mazhar who recently died. Eminent historian and writer Dr Mubarak Ali and journalists and writers Qayyum Nizami and Qaim Naqvi were also present.