Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Monday said that his government treats minorities as equal citizens and has given them quota in jobs and set up a special desk in the home department to redress their grievances.
“On the ticket of our party, the PPP, one MPA Gianchand Israni and MNA Dr Mahesh Malani of minorities are directly elected from Sindh and this shows our commitment with the minorities and inter-faith harmony in the province we have developed.”
This he said on Monday while talking to a delegation of National Commission for Minorities (NCM) led by its Chairman Chela Ram Kewlani.
The other delegate members were Dr. Jaipal Chhabria, Mufti Gulzar Naeemi, Dr. Sarah Safdar, Mr. Saroop Singh, Dr. Liaquat Masih Qaiser, Safdar Masih, Ramesh Kumar, Sardar Manmehan,. Trushna Patel and Mohan Dar. Provincial Minister for Minorities Affairs Gianchand Israni, PSCM Fayaz Jatoi and Secretary Minorities Abbas Baloch also attended the meeting.
The chairman NCM and members of the commission raised different issues such as protection of their religious places, child marriage, and implementation of five percent quota in government services.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said that he has allocated a five percent quota in government jobs for minorities and “we are implementing them in true letter and spirit,” he said and added his government has taken necessary measures to protect rights of minorities.
Talking about reported forced conversion of religion, the CM said that minorities have been given due protection, therefore no such case has emerged in the recent past.
He added that the minorities affairs department was safeguarding the Rights of Minorities, promoting their welfare.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said that Sindh was the land of sufi’s, therefore our people believe in respecting the religion of minorities.
The chief minister told the chairman of the commission that five Facilitation Desks at Division level have been established to provide a suitable platform especially to minorities where they could resolve their day-to-day problems. Syed Murad Ali Shah directed his Principal Secretary Fayza Jatoi to notify Additional Secretary Home as focal person for redressal of the grievances of the minority communities.
Martial arts: Acting Consul General of Japan in Karachi, Katsunori Ashida has said that irrespective of their class, caste and creed, women are respectable for us and we should hold them in high esteem in whatever capacity they work.
He was speaking at a seminar on Women’s Protection and Self-Defence organized by DMC South in connection with Pakistan Day, here on Monday.
Addressing the seminar, he said that martial arts is part and parcel of Japanese Culture and advised the women, particularly girls, to lace themselves with martial arts skills for the sake of self-defense which has become vital in current circumstances.
“In this connection, women can also utilize the social media websites where the martial arts sessions are available”, he added.
Karachi Water & Sewerage Board Vice Chairman Syed Najmi Alam, DMC South Administrator Dr Afshan Rubab Syed, Municipal Commissioner Akhtar Ali Shaikh, Director Education South Abdul Ghaffar Arain and students attended the seminar.
The Administrator DMC South Dr Afshan Rubab Syed said that the purpose of the workshop was to create awareness about self-defense against harassment and bullying among the participants.
She advised the women to never keep quite on any form of harassment and report the same and stand up against such practices in whatever capacity they can with a view to combating this menace.
She lauded the holding of workshop and termed it as an example of Pak-Japan friendship. She was all praise for the Acting Consul General of Japan in Karachi for gracing the occasion with his presence.
She also hoped that the self-defense workshop will further contribute towards the promotion of cultural ties between the two countries.
Chairperson Anti-Harassment Cell Sindh, Dr Sakina Samoo said that women face a lot of challenges in the domestic, education and professional fronts and holding of such workshops and seminars which focus on self-defenses trainings will create awareness among women about self-defence which has become necessary.
Dr Basit Ansari of Karachi University, Social Welfare Activist Sarim Burney and organizing Chairman Ghulam Yaseen also addressed the workshop.
On the occasion, Syed Sakhawat Ali of Pakistan Workers and Amateur Sports Federation, imparted practice of a number of moves and forms of martial arts.
Earlier, Student of various schools of DMC South presented national songs and tableaus on the occasion. Later, Sindh’s ajrak and traditional caps were presented to the guests on the occasion.
