Demanding justice: Minorities threaten to protest over reduction in funds

Criticise decision to provide funds to Darul Uloom Haqania

PESHAWAR: Minority leaders across the province have threatened to protest in the city over allocations made towards a seminary.

This was said during a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday.

“Although the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government claims to be a bastion of minority rights, it has slashed a sizeable chunk from funds set aside for minorities and provided it to Darul Uloom Haqania,” former lawmaker Pervaiz KG said.

“This is an injustice towards minorities in the province,” he said. “Even though the government has claimed an increase in the budgetary allocations for Auqaf and religious minorities of Rs366 million in fiscal year 2016-17, a major chunk of this amount will go to only one seminary.”



On the occasion, a group of Qaumi Watan Party leaders asked the government to justify the cuts in the minorities’ budget.

“They should make it clear whether they are allocating these Rs300 million from the minorities’ fund or from the Auqaf department’s funds, the former lawmaker added. “The Sindh government has tripled the minorities’ funds while the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has ignored the minorities.”

According to the former lawmaker, even MPAs from the minority communities have not raise their voice against this injustice. “They do not even know who they are representing in the assembly,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2016.