• High commissioner pledges more employment for skilled Pakistanis
• Minister claims religious minorities enjoy full constitutional rights

ISLAMABAD: The Australian high commissioner has said his country is ready to assist Pakistan in providing modern technical education to seminary students.

Neil Hawkins offered the assistance on Friday during a meeting with Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain who said that over 18,000 seminaries are registered under the Ministry of Education and providing modern technical education to their students is a critical need of the time.

The high commissioner said that promotion of interfaith harmony is only possible by fostering feelings of love, equality, tolerance and acceptance in society. “Hate and intolerance are two fundamental factors that foster violence and extremism,” he added.

He extended the commitment to provide more employment opportunities for skilled Pakistanis in Australia. Mr Hawkins also expressed sorrow over the deaths of Pakistanis in recent Greek shipwrecks.

During the meeting, both sides discussed various proposals addressing the rising trend of religious intolerance worldwide, elimination of terrorism and sectarianism, establishment of peace and promotion of interfaith harmony.

Chaudhry Salik stated that promoting interfaith and intra-faith harmony in the country, along with addressing the issues of overseas Pakistanis, were among his priorities.

He said religious minorities in Pakistan enjoy all political, economic and social rights guaranteed by the Constitution. It was noted that Pakistan and Australia should work together through interfaith and intercultural dialogue to promote religious harmony, peace and tolerance in the world.

The minister highlighted the government’s efforts regarding reforms in religious seminaries. He said the government is taking effective measures to prevent illegal human trafficking and has initiated a project to impart modern skills to individuals going abroad for employment.

The meeting concluded with an agreement to enhance cooperation between the two countries for elimination of extremism and promotion of interfaith harmony.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024