KARACHI: Senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sherry Rahman has said that there is no minority in the country as all citizens have equal rights and no one will be allowed to push them against the wall.

Speaking at a programme held to observe the fourth death anniversary of PPP leader and former federal minister Shahbaz Bhatti at the Karachi Press Club on Sunday, she stressed the need for taking effective measures to protect the life of all citizens, including members of religious minorities.

Know more: Religious minorities feel insecure in the country, NA told

PPP’s minority wing organised the event, where speakers paid tributes to the slain Mr Bhatti, who was assassinated in 2011 in Islamabad, and recalled his services to the community and the country.

She said that the menace of terrorism had penetrated deep into society and it had to be rooted out.

Ms Rehman, who is the senior vice president of the PPP, said that the minorities were part of the country and their places of worship were being targeted under a conspiracy.

Referring to the speeches of minority leaders pledging to make Pakistan stronger even at the cost of their lives, she said: “We will not let them be target of a bullet and will take measures to protect life of every citizen of the country, including the minorities.”

Ms Rahman said that a government could not be run through “bullet and baton” but only through democratic dispensation. “There is no minority in the country as we all are equal citizens and have equal rights.”

She said that no terrorist could be allowed to play mischief with the minorities not only in Islamabad but anywhere in Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

She reminded the minorities and women that the local government elections were approaching and they should start preparations to fully participate in the polls.

She said that the real platform to solve the problems confronted by the people and nursery of democracy was local bodies institutions.

She asked the minorities to suggest their recommendations for the upcoming LG elections to make them part of the PPP manifesto.

She said all terrorists, including those who killed Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti, would not be spared.

Speaking on the occasion, Senator Rahman Malik said: “The Taliban are Zaliman who have no religion and they are killing innocent people for the sake of money.”

He said that the PPP was not coming to the rescue of the PML-N government but to save democracy.

He said the PPP was the only party which had given most sacrifices for democracy and it was the party’s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari whose efforts resulted in representation of minorities in the Senate.

PPP leader Najme Alam said that without doing away with the mindset of extremism the issue of terrorism could not be solved.

Mushtaq Mato said that the minority community was with the PPP in the past and would remain with it in the future also.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2015

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