ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday said minorities in Pakistan have equal rights and the government was providing them opportunities without any discrimination.
In his felicitation message to the Christian community on Christmas, the foreign minister said Pakistan was the only country in the world where minorities were represented in the national flag.
The foreign minister said providing rights to minorities was part of the Islamic faith and the Constitution of Pakistan also protected this privilege.
On the other hand, he said neighbouring India, which claimed to be secular and a champion of human rights, discriminated against minorities, particularly Muslims.
Qureshi said the minorities in Pakistan were playing a vital role in the development and prosperity of the country. “We felicitate our Christian community on Christmas and wish them well,” he said.
He stressed upon the importance of inter-faith harmony as need of the hour, which he said could help tackle the challenges such as extremism and terrorism all over the world. He said Islam is a peace loving religion which teaches to treat minorities with respect, love and sincerity.
The foreign minister expressed confidence that all citizens of Pakistan would work together for the development and prosperity of their homeland .
