Sindh's religious harmony rooted in old traditions: CM

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said religious harmony was deeply rooted in the province's history and culture, where people of different faiths had lived together in mutual respect for centuries, and reaffirmed his government's commitment to protecting the rights of minorities.

Addressing a conference held at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, to mark National Minorities Day, the CM paid tribute to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's vision of equal citizenship. Referring to the Quaid's historic policy statement, Shah said Jinnah had made it clear that Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in a religious sense but in the political sense of being equal citizens of the state.

He said many parts of the world were still struggling to ensure equal rights and freedoms for religious minorities, whereas Sindh took pride in its long tradition of inclusion, tolerance and respect for diversity. Highlighting the political empowerment of minorities in Sindh, the chief minister said prominent leaders from minority communities, including MNA Mahesh Kumar Malani, Gianchand Israni and Hari Ram Kishori Lal, had been directly elected by the people to legislative institutions. He said their election represented public confidence that transcended religious identity.

Shah said extremist and religiously intolerant elements had never received electoral acceptance in Sindh, which, he added, reflected the province's moderate and pluralistic character.

Sharing his personal experience, the chief minister said members of minority communities had played an important role in shaping his educational journey. He received his early education at St Bonaventure's High School in Hyderabad, established by the Christian community, before attending St Patrick's High School in Karachi, also established by Christians. He later studied at DJ Science College, established by the Hindu community, and graduated from NED University, whose establishment had significant contributions from the Parsi community. "In this way, every minority community contributed to my education and personal development," he said.

The chief minister said the contributions of minority communities to education, healthcare, business and public service were an integral part of Pakistan's development. Referring to his government's commitment to merit and equal opportunities, Shah cited a recent recruitment process for the Sindh police in Mirpurkhas.

He said some minority candidates selected on open merit were initially being counted against the minority quota. He said he had personally intervened and directed that candidates selected on merit be counted separately, allowing the reserved quota seats to remain available for other eligible minority candidates.

Shah reiterated the Sindh government's commitment to protecting the constitutional, social and economic rights of minorities and promoting a society in which every citizen enjoyed equal opportunities and protection under the law.

While talking to media, he said resolutions had already been passed against any division of Sindh and more could be brought if needed, while stressing that the Constitution already laid down a procedure for creating new provinces.

He further said if Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz wanted to do politics in Sindh, she should come to the province and contest an election. He said convening a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) was the responsibility of the federal government.

Speaking about police performance, Shah said law-enforcement agencies were making efforts to recover missing minor Priya Kumari. Regarding the Mir Raza case, the chief minister acknowledged that there had been some shortcomings on the part of the police, but declined to comment further on the matter for the time being.