PESHAWAR: Speakers at a meeting on Tuesday demanded establishment of minority rights commission to highlight issues faced by minorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and immediate approval of the Minority Property Protection Bill by the provincial assembly for implementation.

The meeting organised by South Asia Partnership of Pakistan (SAP-Pk) at a local hotel was attended by leaders of minority groups, civil society activists and legislators.

Noted among the speakers were SAP-Pk programmer Nusrat Ara, additional inspector general police Mian Asif Iqbal, PTI MPA Ziaullah Bangash, civil society members Zar Ali Musazai, Talmor and Shamim Shahid, and representatives of minorities Radesh Singh Tony, Bishan Lal and Augston Jacob.

The speakers said the proposed minority rights commission would help highlight problems faced by minorities in Khyber Pakhtunl(hwa besides finding ways and means to mitigate their sufferings on priority.

They said the commission should comprise five members of different departments related to minorities, two MPAs, one civil society member, one member each from different religious communities, and a woman member. The speakers called for immediate approval of the Minority Property Protection Bill by the provincial assembly.

They said the bill`s approval by the assembly for implementation would help retrieve all properties of Hindus and Sikhs, including temples and gurdwaras, which were occupied either by the government for educational purpose or in the name of national heritage, or by land grabbers.

The participants also discussed other issues related to minorities, including kidnapping for ransom, marriage registration, forced conversion, early marriages and quota in government jobs for minorities.

Radesh Singh, Bishan Lal and Augston Jacob regretted sense of deprivation prevailing among members of minorities and said they`re entitled to the rights of expression, assembly, association and thought for being Pakistani citizens and that it was the government`s responsibility to protect their life, places of worship and other interests.

Radesh and Bishan Lal said Hindus were Pakistanis like Muslim majority and therefore, they should be considered citizens of Pakistan and shouldn`t be called Indians.

Police official Mian Asif Iqbal said the provincial government and police were making efforts to provide all kinds of security to minorities and their holy places. `The police hold Muslims and religious minorities in high esteem. It is their responsibility to take steps for providing elaborate security and protection to minority members,` he said.

MPA Ziaullah Bangash praised SAP-Pk for highlighting issues of minorities and said the provincial assembly had discussed allsuchissuesfornecessary action.

He said he would speak to the relevant authorities about the proposed minority rights commission and malce every effort to ensure its early formation.