PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday nominated Ravi Kumar the coordinator for minority affairs to help resolve the problems of non-Muslims in the province.

Mr. Kumar belongs to Mardan and is the provincial general secretary of the PTI’s minority wing. His nomination came as there is no representative of minority groups in the provincial cabinet.

Adviser to the CM Sardar Soran Singh was killed by unidentified people outside his residence in Pir Baba area of Buner district around three months ago.

According to a statement issued here, Mr. Kumar leading a delegation met Chief Minister Pervez Khattak at the CM Secretariat and discussed with him issues relating to minority groups living in the province.

The CM assured visitors that the government would never ignore the welfare of minorities in the province.

Adviser to the chief minister on information Mushtaq Ghani was also present at the occasion. The chief minister said the assassination of Soran Singh was a great loss to the party and that he represented minorities of the province in a way they deserved to be represented. He said the new budget was giving greater space to the minorities for different developmental and welfare schemes in the province.

Mr. Khattak issued directions for expediting the already initiated and identified schemes for the minorities in the province. He added that he wanted to satisfy minorities through mainstreaming them in the overall developmental strategy of the province.

The CM said the coordination, interaction and integration of minorities initiated by Soran Singh would continue and the provincial government would provide all out support in this regard. He ordered the allotment of an office for better coordination with the minorities.

The delegates appreciated the chief minister for his keenness in resolving their problems through the establishment of a coordination office and addressing related issues.

They assured the CM that the minorities valued the provincial government’s interest in different issues and their resolution on priority basis.

The delegates said minorities would continue supporting the government and its approach for the welfare of the minorities in the province.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2016