Meeting reviews implementation of SC orders on minorities’ rights

LAHORE, Nov 13 (DNA): To review the implementation of the Supreme
Court’s orders regarding the protection of minorities rights, Chief
Secretary Punjab Kamran Ali Afzal and MNA Ramesh Kumar jointly presided
over an important meeting, at the Civil Secretariat here on Saturday.

The participants discussed issues related to Ganesh Temple Bhong Rahim
Yar Khan, Prahladpuri Temple Multan, job quota for minorities, and
security of their worship places. The meeting was also briefed on the
Punjab government’s steps taken in light of the apex court’s orders.

Chief Secretary Punjab said that the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees
equal rights for all minorities, adding that practical measures are
being taken to protect the rights of minorities in the province. He said
that Islam emphasizes the safeguarding of minorities’ rights and it is
the responsibility of the government to take care of the religious
places of minorities. The Chief Secretary also issued instructions to
all departments to implement the job quota for minorities.

MNA Ramesh Kumar said that the efforts of the Punjab government for the
restoration of Ganesh Temple Bhong are praiseworthy. He mentioned that
there is a need to speed up work on restoration and construction work of
Prahladpuri Temple Multan. The IG Punjab said that the police would
provide complete security for worship places of all minorities. He
stated that action is being taken against the culprits involved in the
attack on the Ganesh Temple Bhong.

The Evacuee Property Trust Board (ETPB) officials said that the design
of the Prahladpuri temple would be completed by December 15. The Home
Department officials said that all possible steps have been taken to
ensure the security of the worship places of minorities and as many as
224 new posts have been created in the police for the purpose.

The meeting was attended by IG Punjab, Additional Chief Secretary,
secretaries of different departments including Law, Human Rights, Auqaf
while divisional commissioners of Multan and Bahawalpur, deputy
commissioner, and district police officer of Rahim Yar Khan participated
through video link.

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