KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said that the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa considers the welfare of minorities as its utmost duty. For the development of minorities, he said the provincial government had taken revolutionary steps and the employment quota reserved for minorities had been doubled.
He expressed these views while talking to different delegations which called on him under the leadership of the Bishop of Pesahwar, Hamfrey Sarfaraz Peter, a minority MPA, Fedrick Azeem Ghauri and members of minority wing PTI. The delegations discussed in detail problems faced by minority communities in the province, their welfare and other related matters.
The chief minister, while assuring the resolution of their all problems on priority basis, said that minorities are important organ of their society. He said the role of minorities in national development is unforgettable. He said besides, welfare of minorities, the protection of life and properties and rights are their constitutional, religious and national responsibility and said that the government will leave no stone unturned in the fulfilment of this responsibility in better manner.
The chief minister said that after coming into power they first increased minorities' job quota from 1 percent to 1.5 percent and now it had increased to 3 percent. Similarly, he said besides, the appointing of minority welfare officer at every district level, Deputy Commissioner headed district minorities' committee have also been constituted to resolve the problems of minorities through their representatives. Similarly, he said that for the first time in the history of the province, the portfolio of minorities' affairs has been to a minority member, which speaks of our love for minorities and acknowledgement of their services and capabilities. He said that for the development of minorities, they had also established a separate working group. He said the implementation of the comprehensive recommendations presented by the working group is also being ensured.
He assured that for the construction and repairing of the worship places of minorities, the PTI government will utilised all available resources. He said the provincial government is introducing a system to guarantee protection to the life and properties of all people including minorities and protection of worship places, provision of equal rights to minorities and resolve their problems in an automated manner. The chief minister said that such system is possible only after the abolition of remnants of the outdated system like the menaces of corruption, commission, sifarish and injustice to guarantee the supremacy of merit, law and justice in the society on which the coalition government is working since its very inception.
Bishop of Peshawar Hemfry Sarfaraz Peter and Fedrick Azeem Ghauri thanked the chief minister for taking keen interest in the protection of the rights of minorities and resolution of their problems. They on behalf of the minorities assured full co-operation to provincial government.