Archbishop of Canterbury calls on Pakistan to ensure equal rights for minorities

Archbishop was on a two-day visit to Lahore where he met with church leaders and government officials.

LAHORE: The Archbishop of Canterbury, who is currently visiting the country, called on Pakistan to safeguard the rights of its religious minorities and afford them equal treatment under the law.

Leader of the world's Anglicans Justin Welby, currently on a two-day visit to Lahore, met with church leaders, government officials and members of the minority Christian community on Wednesday.

"Christians, historically, have given tremendous services to this country and I hope they can be given the scale of freedom and equal rights under the law," he told AFP.

He added that his message for the people and government of Pakistan was to respect and safeguard the rights of all minorities.

Talking to media, he said he met many Muslim religious leaders and government fumitories including Punjab governor Muhammad Sarwar.

"Everybody is concerned about the private use of blasphemy laws, which is a sensitive matter in Pakistan," he said.

"However, they don't suggest a way forward and mechanism how to stop it."

Christians are one of the largest religious minorities in Pakistan where Muslims make up over 95% of the population.