Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social SafetyShazia Marri on Monday said the word minority was not discriminatory rather the mindset was discriminatory that needs to change for ensuring zero tolerance against discrimination with minorities.
Delivering a speech at the conference on Unequal Citizens: Ending Systemic Discrimination against Minorities arranged by the National Commission for Human Rights, the minister said that the people need to realize that minority somewhere was a majority elsewhere. The minister lauded the work being carried out by the commission regarding protection of Minority Rights. She stated that provision of rights to minorities was a priority of the government and specially the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). She informed the audience that 11th August was declared as Minority Day by the then President, Asif Ali Zardari. She briefed the audience that the constitution of Pakistan called for equality of law for all, and no discrimination. The preamble of the constitution was to safeguard minority rights, she added. She further stated that the National Action Plan calls for co-existence. It was the PPP which gave 5% quota to minorities in 2009. Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) was a universal programme which worked with a dynamic NSER survey to efficiently include the deserving minorities into the social protection program. Marri, concluded by stating that the government would diligently work to protect the minority rights and facilitate them to the fullest. Other dignitaries attending the conference called against discrimination, derogatory remarks being faced by the minorities. They stated that the founder of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared Pakistan a state where all religions would have equal rights, irrespective of their beliefs.
