KARACHI: A group of representatives met the newly appointed minority affairs secretary on Tuesday and acknowledged the department’s decision to hold a seminar next month on their problems.
“We currently have no representative in the National Assembly or in the Sindh Assembly,” explained the chairman of the Sikh Naujwan Sabha Pakistan, Sardar Ramesh Singh, while talking to The Express Tribune. This is one of the points they brought up at the meeting. One of their demands is that a seat be reserved for Sikhs in the upcoming senate elections.
For his part, Christian representative and leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Michael Javed, raised the fact that the government has not been able to implement its decision to give non-Muslims 5% of jobs in its departments as promised. “Minorities are not being appointed on the seats reserved for them—and those who are appointed after a struggle, are discriminated against and treated very harshly by others,” he said.
He also touched upon the state of the Sindh minorities affairs department, adding that it was sad to know that the secretary has no place to sit. “The minorities’ secretary has not been given an office at the secretariat,” Javed said. “He sits in a dingy corner at the excise barrack, and has no proper place to carry out his office work.”
Mangla Sharma of the Pak-Hindu Welfare Council pointed out that parliamentarians are given financial aid for minorities but they don’t use the funds properly. “They are not even in touch with us,” he said. When asked to comment, the secretary for minorities affairs, Iqbal Bablani, declined to share any details and preferred to describe it as an internal meeting.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2012.
COMMENTS (6)
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Dear Sirs,
I am currently in the phase of writing/compiling my book, where there discourse turns on Sikh belief, in particular, their greting/solutation\ "Sat Siry Akaal". I need to know its exact meaning and wording when translated into Urdu and in English too.
Will you kindly find time to respond me soon.
Thanking you,
Yours Very Sincerely,
Mushtaq Noor Artist mnoor92@hotmail.com
@Mohammad -Ditto! In this kind of situation positive discrimination is needed and works. Here in the UK this is applied in the Police Force and government bodies.
I'd say this should be actioned across the board sooner than later.
Excellent idea!
this is the time we must change our mind set and guarantee that each citizen of pakistan has a equal right regardless of religious considerations this is the only way to move forward for the betterment of Pakistan.
100% agreed. Sikhs should launch a Sikh leader on national level to bring them into mainstream, but the Man must be of character so he could make Sikh community and pakistanis proud.
I totally support this reservation for our Sikh brothers.