Minister says govt committed to resolving problems of religious minorities. PHOTO: FILE
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Wednesday that the government would increase the number of minority seats in the National Assembly.
“The government is committed to working for the welfare of minority communities and bringing them into the mainstream,” the minister told a delegation of minority lawmakers who raised the problems faced by religious minorities in the country. The minister promised to look into the problems.
The delegation comprised Dr. Rumesh Kumar Vankwani, Bhawan Das, Isphanyar M. Bhandara, Tariq Christopher Qaiser, Khalil George, Ramesh Lal, Lal Chand Malhi and Aasiya Nasir.
The minority lawmakers called for increasing the amount of money allocated for development schemes, and scholarships and financial assistance for minority students. Scholarships are only awarded to the students studying in state-run schools, which should be extended to students of private schools across the country.
They also demanded that minority seats in parliament should be increased from 10 to 15. In the 18th Constitutional Amendment, religious minorities were given seats in the Senate. Now, the minorities have six reserved seats in the upper house of parliament – half of them were filled during the last Senate elections, while the rest would be filled in next year’s polls.
The government would need to amend the Constitution to increase the number of minority seats in the National Assembly.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2013.
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How many seats could help save rights of the minorities, 15-20-50? Nothing would be enough. It is the majority that needs to safeguard their rights. This drama needs to end.