PM Nawaz Sharif vows to ensure rights of minorities
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KARACHI: (APP) Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Tuesday said his government stood for the complete religious freedom of all communities and without discrimination, ensured them equal rights as enshrined in the Constitution.
Addressing a ceremony held here to mark the Hindu festival of Holi, the prime minister said Islam treated all communities as equal, guaranteeing their rights by even enforcement of law.
He said the government would ensure complete freedom for all the religious minorities and if required further legislation would be enacted with stringent enforcement of laws for their rights and protection.
He said Pakistan was created on the basis of equal rights to all communities with complete religious freedom. Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal had called for complete religious freedom for followers of different faiths, he added.
The prime minister vowed that attempts to create provincial prejudices or bias would not be given room and hinder the path of religious tolerance and unity.
He noted that diversity of religions and faiths was the vital ingredient for unity and all the communities would have to transform this element to further foster the bonds of brotherhood and affection.
He regretted that in the past, some elements wanted to weaken Pakistan by misusing religious differences or distorting the history, but the nation had rejected such attempts.
"As a nation we share the common woes and joys. We are one," he declared.
