The Punjab Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution on Sunday to pay tribute to the minorities in the province.

The resolution, moved by Minister for Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora, highlights the role played by the minorities in the creation and development of Pakistan. It notes that the Quaid-i-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had declared that “minorities are free to go to their places of worship.”

The federal government declared August 11 as National Minorities Day in 2009. The date coincides with the historic speech delivered by Jinnah on August 11, 1947, where he promised to protect the rights and religious freedoms of minorities in the country.

Earlier in the day, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed support and solidarity with religious minorities

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The resolution further states that the Punjab Assembly’s first speaker was a female minority member, Safiya Parkas Singh, recognising the contributions of minority communities. “The Constitution guarantees the equal rights of all citizens and has various articles for the protection of minorities.”