KARACHI: 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.