Helping the marginalised: ‘Minorities now recruited sans discrimination’

CM Pervez Khattak’s special assistant says attacks on Sikhs a major concern

PESHAWAR:

Highlighting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led (PTI) government’s commitment to protecting religious minorities, Special Assistant to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief minister Sardar Soran Singh on Thursday claimed non-Muslims were now being recruited without discrimination.

Speaking at a gathering organised by Church World Services, Singh said PTI had taken practical steps to adjust members of religious minorities in government institutions. He added that most recently, 18 people from Kalash were hired for the community police, while two were appointed to the regular force. He pointed out that four Sikhs and a Hindu were also employed by the city police force.



Sardar Soran Singh maintained that besides the police force, the PTI government directed officials to ensure the implementation of the quota for minorities in appointments and recruitments. He said both men and women who were Hindu, Sikh and Christian had found employment in the education and health departments. The special assistant said he personally overlooks details of advertisements of vacancies in government departments.

Singh urged the government and non-governmental organisations to fulfil their responsibilities of improving the living standards of non-Muslims in general and Christians in particular. He said local and international aid organisations provided large amounts of money for educational institutions, but the living standard of impoverished non-Muslims remains the same.

He revealed that over the last year and a half, the K-P government has used around Rs160 million for the welfare and development of minorities. Singh said the money was spent on the construction and renovation of their places of worship and their festivals.

The official said violence against Sikhs was a matter of great concern and resulted from the ongoing wave of extremism. He added the chief minister has directed the police to ensure protection for Sikhs throughout the province. Singh further stated that the PTI government was in contact with the federal government to protect the marriages and other rights of non-Muslims.

Hindu Rights Movement member Haroon Sarabdiyal, Church World Services representative Kashif Farooqi and Punjab Lok Sujag’s Advocate Maroof also addressed participants.

Advocate Maroof briefed participants about the draft of a Marriages Act for Hindus, Christians and other non-Muslims. He said there was no registration procedure of marriages among people from different faiths and this led to forced conversions.

He called upon political leaders, especially those in Parliament, to come forth and ensure comprehensive legislation on interfaith marriages. He suggested the PTI government fulfil its responsibilities of safeguarding the rights of minorities through provincial legislation following the 18th Amendment.

The participants agreed that comprehensive legislation was required for the protection of interfaith marriages to alleviate the sense of deprivation felt by minorities. They suggested taking all stakeholders on board, especially leaders of religious parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17^th, 2014.