QUETTA: Chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board Siddiq al-Farooq said here on Tuesday that the government was preparing a bill aimed at curbing the practice of forced conversion.

He said at a press conference that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was aware of the matter and he was trying to come up with a legislation to end the practice and protect the rights of minorities.

During a meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Mr Farooq exchanged views with him on problems faced by people belonging to minority communities in Balochistan. “The chief minister has assured me to resolve issues of minority communities,” he said.

Mr Farooq said that financial assistance for Hindu holy places in Sukkur had been increased from Rs1 million to Rs2 million. The government, he added, would take all possible steps to protect businesses and properties of minority communities.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2015