ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf terming minorities as an integral part of the Pakistani society said the government was considering promulgation of personal laws for them including the separate marriage and divorce bills for Christians and Hindus.
Addressing at a function to mark International Human Rights Day at the Prime Minister Secretariat here, Prime Minister Ashraf said the step would fulfill a longstanding demand and bring them at par with the Muslim citizens of the state.
The event to commemorate the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 by the United Nations' General Assembly, was attended by federal ministers, parliamentarians, ambassadors, representatives of UN Agencies, non-governmental organizations and human rights activists.
The Prime Minister said minorities had played an important role in the development of the country. He mentioned that the government had increased the number of seats for minorities in Senate besides fixing a quota in civil services.
He said Pakistan's role in protecting human rights had been recognized globally and said Pakistan had been elected a member of the UN Human Rights Council for three years, with 171 countries out of 191 supporting its membership.
He termed this a recognition of the government's efforts to further the cause of human rights in Pakistan as well as of its standing in the comity of nations.
He said the government was considering the appointment of Human Rights Defenders under the Ministry of Human Rights.
Prime Minister Raja Ashraf said Pakistan would continue fighting war against terrorism to secure the future of its children.
"We will never accept the narrow-minded and bigoted agenda of extremists," he said and urged the people of Pakistan to join hands with the government and the civil society for promotion of human rights.
He reiterated the government's commitment to create an environment conducive to peace, democracy and human rights in the country.
Prime Minister Ashraf interlinking democracy and peace said the road to durable peace was paved by representative and effective democratic institutions.
"Our tenure is a story of struggle for democracy, nurturing of institutions, upholding of rights of the marginalized sections of society and fight against non-state elements who threaten the life and property of our citizens," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister said, "We lost our beloved leader, Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto, and thousands of our soldiers, policemen, law-enforcement personnel and civilians in this fight."
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