{"id":50583,"date":"2025-08-11T21:30:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T21:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=50583"},"modified":"2025-08-11T21:30:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T21:30:20","slug":"president-zardari-vows-to-work-for-protection-of-minorities-rights-bhandara-calls-on-etpb-to-return-sikh-hindu-temples-to-respective-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/president-zardari-vows-to-work-for-protection-of-minorities-rights-bhandara-calls-on-etpb-to-return-sikh-hindu-temples-to-respective-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"President Zardari Vows to Work for Protection of Minorities\u2019 Rights ! Bhandara Calls on (ETPB) to return Sikh, Hindu Temples to Respective Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
President Asif Ali Zardari, along with ministers and heads of minority communities, cuts a cake at Aiwan-e-Sadr on August 11, 2025 to celebrate National Minorities Day. First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari is also present.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Islamabad, 11 August 2025 \u2014 President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan\u2019s minority communities are an essential and respected part of society, and that their rights, freedoms, and safety are fully protected under the Constitution of Pakistan. He praised their valuable contributions to the country\u2019s strength and progress, noting their important role in national development.<\/p>\n

He made it clear that the State stands determined against all forms of discrimination, extremism, and violence, adding that such acts have no place in society and will not be allowed to threaten national unity and integrity.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the occasion of National Minorities Day at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the heads of various minority communities thanked President Asif Ali Zardari for his historic decision in 2009, during his first tenure as President of Pakistan, to declare 11th August as National Minorities Day, to be observed each year. They acknowledged this initiative as a milestone in recognising their contributions and upholding their rights.<\/p>\n

The President said the State has taken practical measures to promote inclusion and ensure equal opportunities for all. These include separate seats for non-Muslims in the Parliament and Provincial Assemblies, a 5% quota in federal and provincial government jobs, and scholarships for minority students from the primary level to higher and professional education.<\/p>\n

He further assured the minority communities that their worship places, if presently under illegal occupation, would be retrieved without delay. He said he would ask the government to take steps to ensure such places are immediately restored to their rightful custodians.<\/p>\n

He noted that the National Policy for Interfaith Harmony has been designed to promote religious tolerance, strengthen social integration, and unite all religious communities as part of a cohesive national fabric.<\/p>\n

The President said that our religion, Islam, upholds peace, justice, and human dignity \u2014 principles reflected in the Charter of Madina, which granted equal rights to all communities, including non-Muslims. He added that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned a Pakistan where every citizen, regardless of religion, would enjoy equal rights \u2014 a vision that continues to guide state policies.<\/p>\n

Marking the significance of the day, President Zardari called for a collective resolve to build an inclusive and stronger Pakistan where every citizen enjoys equality, mutual respect, and legal protection, and is empowered to contribute meaningfully to the nation\u2019s shared destiny.<\/p>\n

\"\"Mr. Isphanyar Bhandara Speaks at National Minorities Day Ceremony<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the National Minorities Day ceremony held at the President House, Mr. Isphanyar Bhandara, MNA, moved beyond routine formalities to highlight concrete measures that can meaningfully improve the lives of Pakistan\u2019s minorities.<\/p>\n

He called for the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) to return Sikh and Hindu places of worship to their respective communities, the restoration of control over missionary schools to the Christian community, and the allocation of funds to minority MNAs for development projects. He also urged the handing back of Rawalpindi\u2019s historic Gurdwara to the Sikh community, and once again emphasized the need for establishing minority courts for swift justice.<\/p>\n

Mr. Bhandara highlighted that minority rights are securely enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan, with sufficient safeguards against discrimination. What is lacking, he stressed, is the effective implementation of these laws and rules.<\/p>\n

He noted that most prejudice and mistreatment occurs at the grassroots level, not in the higher tiers of governance, underscoring the importance of educating and sensitizing the public. He stressed that media, mosques, and religious scholars can play a pivotal role in fostering respect and harmony among all citizens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Islamabad, 11 August 2025 \u2014 President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan\u2019s minority communities are an essential and respected part of society, and that their rights, freedoms, and safety are fully protected under the Constitution of Pakistan. He praised their valuable contributions to the country\u2019s strength and progress, noting their important role in national […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[1762,1761,355,1423,4675,48,58,4324,6365,3439],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50583"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50583"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50588,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50583\/revisions\/50588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}