PESHAWAR: Speakers at a workshop have urged the government to ensure protection of the rights of minorities so that they could play an effective role in development of the country and bring a positive change in the society.

They were speaking at a capacity-building workshop on ‘minority right defenders and community peace groups’ held here at a local hotel on Thursday.

The activity was part of “joint social action for equal rights and opportunities” being undertaken by Peace Education and Development (Pead) Foundation in collaboration with the Norwegian Church Aid. Representatives of the Christian community from different union councils of Peshawar, including Landi Arbab and Yakatoot, shared their views at the workshop. According to a statement, the organisers said that the workshop was aimed at enhancing leadership capabilities of the participants to enable them successfully counter the issues they faced in the society.

One of the organisers, Faisal Jalil, said that the purpose of the programme was to enhance the knowledge and skills of the people from different faiths on leadership, motivation, conflict resolution, human rights and community mobilisation so they could raise voice for their rights in an effective manner. He said that such training workshops would be arranged for all non-Muslims groups. Shagufta Khaliq, Pead programme coordinator, said that it was the responsibility of the government to protect the rights of minorities so that they (non-Muslims) could play their role in development and prosperity of the country.

Christian Welfare Organisation chairman John Allah Bakhsh said that this initiative would help build the confidence of the minority representatives to solve problems of their communities.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2016