RAWALPINDI Jan 20 (APP): Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said that the government dreamt of a Pakistan where every Pakistani got equal opportunities for development.
Pakistan was a complete bouquet of people belonging to different religions and it was established to protect them from majority Hindus, he said while addressing the launching ceremony of the PPAF’s initiative on ” Economic Mainstreaming of Non-Muslim Communities of Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities ” here at the Rawalpindi Christian Study Centre.
The initiative has been undertaken by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) in collaboration with the Hunar Foundation. Canadian High Commissioner Christine Tremblay also attended the ceremony.
Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that every non-Muslim in Pakistan was safe and was playing an important role for its bright future.
The Christian community, he said, also played an important role in the creation of Pakistan, and were now equally working for its progress and prosperity. The Christian community members were even serving at senior positions in the Armed Forces of Pakistan.
The minister, however, regretted that hatred and prejudice was prevalent in the society, which could not be tolerated in any way, and there was need to uproot it.
He cited his own example that he was fired upon by a young man out of hatred, and stressed the need for a national debate on how such hatred and intolerance had been inculcated among the youth.
Ahsan Iqbal said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was trying to take the country forward through “Uraan Pakistan” and that could only be realized until every Pakistani played their due role.
He said in the developed countries, small classes had been brought forward, and added, ”It is our national responsibility that every Pakistani gets equal opportunities for development”.
The minister said that the minorities had special representation in all the institutions in the country, from the Union Council to the Senate and the National Assembly.
Hunar Foundation CEO Tahir Javed and PPAF Chief Executive Officer Nadir Gul Barech briefed the audience about their initiative to empower the disadvantaged communities of Punjab and Sindh by providing them with technical and skill training.
They informed that the project was aimed to equip 500 people, including women, youth and minorities, with technical and business skills in 12 districts of Punjab and Sindh.
Tahir Javed said that their initiative represented a collective effort to address socio-economic disparities. He added, “This partnership symbolizes a shared vision of empowering individuals, enabling them to unleash their potential and play a meaningful role in the development of Pakistan.”
Nadir Gul Barech highlighted the significance of the project in promoting inclusive development, emphasizing its potential to transform lives.
She said the project will have a dual impact, not only empowering individuals economically but also equipping underprivileged communities with essential skills to improve their economic prospects in the future.
Shagufa Jamal from the Bahai community, Anmol Singh from the Sikh community, Mohanlal Kashyap from the Hindu community, Sher Majam from the Kailash community and Sarfaraz Simon from the Christian community, Advisor to the National Heritage and Culture Division Kashif Irshad, Director General of Communications and Outreach at NACTA Saleha Zakir Shah, Advisor on Counter-Terrorism at UNODC Syed Arsalan Zaidi also spoke on the occasion.