The National Minorities Day was observed in Lahore, like in other parts of the country, with the aim to highlight their religious and socioeconomic uplift and rights.
Various seminars, conferences walks, and sittings in political circles were held to acknowledge the role played by minorities in development of the country. A declaration to mark the National Minorities Day was adopted as part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to help and secure those belonging to religious, linguistic, national or ethnic minority groups.
The purpose of observing the day was to highlight the message of Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who had pronounced equal rights to all citizens of Pakistan. Pakistan is culturally linguistically, ethnically and religiously diverse. Muslims constitute 96.28 per cent of the country’s population, whereas Christians form 1.59 per cent and Hindus 1.60 per cent population of the country, International Forum for Rights and Securitys recent report said. The government of Pakistan is taking all-inclusive actions to defend, encourage and ensure the rights to all Pakistani citizens irrespective of their religious background, the report said, adding that the state must protect the equal rights of Pakistans minorities in every domain of life. Former Punjab Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Ejaz Alam Augustine said that religious minorities were an integral part of any society and played a vital role in the development and progress of the country.
Augustine said the new local bodies system offered a good number of opportunities for minorities, adding “we all have to change the mindset of discrimination against religious minorities.” President Dr. Arif Alvi, in his message on Friday, acknowledged the role played by minorities in development of the country. He said the minorities in the country enjoyed all political, economic and social rights, guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan. Quoting the teachings of Islam, he said “our religion emphatically advocates for protection of minority rights and equality among all people, fostering a spirit of harmony and unity within our diverse society”.
