KARACHI, 10 AUG (DNA) – Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday reiterated the commitment of his Party for equal opportunities and protection to the minority communities in Pakistan on the eve of National Minority Day being observed officially on August 11 since 2009 following orders from then President Asif Ali Zardari.

“PPP has taken the responsibility to fulfil what Founder of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Founders of Democracy in Pakistan Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto promised to the religious minority of the country,” PPP Chairman stated in his message on the eve of historic day marked by the famous speech of the nation’s Founder on August 11, 1947.

He said that PPP is the only political party in Pakistan which has taken practical measures to immerse minorities in the society and bring them into mainstream besides legislative and administrative efforts to ensure safeguard of their rights as equal citizens of Pakistan. “PPP has inducted Hindus, Dalits and Christians in the new Sindh cabinet and nominated 18 candidates from these communities to the winning seats of Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of District Council, Municipal Committees and Town Committees. This is unprecedented political empowerment of minorities,” he added.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that PPP gave representation to the Non-Muslim Pakistanis in the Senate and passed long-awaited Hindu Marriage Bill from Sindh Assembly. Just in the last budget, the PPP government tripled the budget of Minority Affairs Department for carrying out welfare work including scholarships to minority students and financial support to orphans, widows and the poor among them.

PPP Chairman held out assurances to the people from minority communities that his Party would never allow any kind of discrimination against them and always provide a level-playing field for them to explore their talent, energies and potential for their own progress and betterment of whole nation.

PPP Chairman also directed the Parliamentary Party in National Assembly to pursue the pending Bill to increase the seats for Non-Muslims in the National and Provincial Assemblies and take up the issue with the other Parliamentary groups to speed up the legislation.

Bilawal Bhutto said that PPP has clear vision about the minority communities of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and it will implement it all over Pakistan. He pointed out that PPP was against the misuse of certain laws against the individuals from minorities and always ready to sit with other Parliamentary Parties for the kind of legislation, well-protected against exploitation and misuse.

PPP Chairman further said that former President Asif Ali Zardari had declared August 11 during PPP government in 2009 as annual National Minority Day to highlight the contribution, services and sacrifices made by the minority communities in the creation of Pakistan and in nation building. DNA