Defence Minister Kh Asif vows to rid country of religious prejudices 

Lamenting that incidents of violence against minorities took place in the country, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday vowed to make the country free from religious hatred and bigotry, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

Addressing a function in Sialkot, he said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had always played her role in the protection of the rights of minorities. “The provincial government has got a land reserved for a Gurdawara vacated from the land mafia. It will set a precedent for others to follow,” the minister claimed. 

He further said that a large number of people belonging to minority communities lived in Sialkot, and they enjoyed complete religious freedom.  

Asif went on to say that every Pakistani; be he or she a Muslim or belonging to a minority community, had the right to live in this country. “In his first address after the creation of Pakistan, Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had guaranteed to minorities their rights,” he said, adding, “A man belonging to a Christian community remained the chief justice of the country. None could doubt his integrity.”

However, he said the conduct of the chief justices during the last 15 years was questionable.