Aug 11 has been celebrated as National Minorities Day in Pakistan. Every year, different marches for minority rights are organized in various parts of the country to highlight the issues faced by the minority community in Pakistan and to put forward solutions to these issues. This year, however, the situation was a bit different as the organizers of the march requested authorities to grant them permission to hold a minority rights march at Karachi’s Frere Hall. However, the permission was initially declined, citing the reasons for security threats in the country.
As per the latest news, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has now granted permission to the March protestors after having a meeting with them. And now, the minority rights march will be taking place at 3 pm today in Frere Hall. Murtaza Wahab said, “We have allowed them and issued the security plan.” As per Dawn, he issued a letter to the Karachi Commissioner regarding the security situation of the minority rights march.
The letter reads, “This office has no objection if permission is granted to the organizers of the Minority Rights March as per rule and policy. This office will issue a comprehensive security order to ensure foolproof security for the event and avoid any untoward incident.”
On the other hand, President Asif Ali Zardari also highlighted the importance of minority rights and stated that it is one of the visions of Jinnah to protect the religious, social, cultural, and political rights of minorities in Pakistan, and we are bound to fulfill this responsibility with full devotion. He said, “Pakistan celebrates Minorities’ Day on August 11 every year to acknowledge the contributions of our minorities towards Pakistan’s socio-economic development. On this day, we reaffirm our commitment to the promise made by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, on August 11, 1947, to the country’s minorities to protect their rights and religious freedoms.”
The President further stated, “We have allocated a five percent quota for minorities in government jobs and separate seats in both houses of Parliament to encourage them to play an effective role in the political and national development of the country.”
