A delegation of National Commission for Minority Rights led by Dr. Muhammad Shoaib Suddle called on Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office and discussed about the provision of facilities and matters relating to the welfare of the minorities. A principle decision was also taken to compile the data of non-Muslim employees from across the province. Talking on the occasion, the chief minister said that Punjab is being made an exemplary the province with regard to protection of minorities’ rights adding that Punjab minority package would prove to be an exemplary programme with regard to minorities’ welfare. Youhana Abad will be made a model area with an amount of Rs.30 crore, he added. The chief minister directed to appoint a provincial focal person to timely solve matters relating to the minorities and added that employees belonging to the minority communities will be given official holidays on their religious days. He pointed out that non-Muslim students are being given educational scholarships worth Rs.2.5 crore while another amount of Rs.2.5 crore will be distributed among non-Muslim research scholars and postgraduate students as scholarships. The chief minister informed that a proposal will be reviewed to exempt non-Muslim students to appear in the competitive examinations during their religious days. He said that lands reserved for minorities in the province are being retrieved from squatters. He asked the police officers to personally check the security of churches. Usman Buzdar said that grant of dual voting right to the minorities in the local bodies’ elections is a praiseworthy step of the Punjab province. He pointed out that non-Muslim students are being imparted technical training on scholarships in collaboration with six different chambers of commerce adding that non-Muslim prisoners will also be given remission in sentences for reading their respective religious books. Dr. Shoaib Suddle apprised the chief minister about objectives of the commission and added that Punjab will emerge as a model with regard to the protection of rights and provision of facilities to non-Muslim communities. Ramesh Kumar MNA, Saqib Jillani Advocate, provincial minister Ijaz Alam, ACS (Home), administrative secretaries and others attended the meeting.
