KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a landmark resolution to mark National Minority Day, recommending the removal of the term “minority” from the Constitution and replacing it with language that ensures equality and dignity for all citizens.

The resolution, moved by Deputy Speaker Anthony Naveed Sohtra, strongly condemned all forms of discrimination, intolerance, hate speech, violence, and forced conversions — particularly those involving minors from faith-based communities.

The House urged the provincial government to:

• Reserve a five per cent quota in all educational institutions and a 10 per cent quota in scholarships for students from faith-based communities.

• Establish a provincial faith rights protection authority to monitor violations, provide legal aid, and recommend policy reforms.

• Protect places of worship, sacred sites, and cultural heritage of faith communities.

• Incorporate Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s August 11, 1947 speech into the school curriculum to highlight his vision on religious freedom and equal citizenship.

Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah recalled Quaid-i-Azam’s historic address to the Constituent Assembly, where he emphasized freedom of religion and separation of state from religious affairs. “On Aug 11, 1947, Quaid declared that everyone was free to go to their temples, mosques, or any other place of worship,” Shah said. He added that the observance of National Minority Day, initiated in 2009 by then-President Asif Ali Zardari, reaffirms Pakistan’s founding principles of equality and justice.

Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi stressed the need to address both sectarian and nationalist prejudices, calling it a pressing human rights issue.

Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon highlighted that the white portion of Pakistan’s flag symbolises the rights and freedoms of non-Muslim citizens, while MQM-P’s Mahesh Kumar Hasija acknowledged the historic contributions of minorities, such as Seth Jaji R. Vishandas, who brought electricity to Karachi, making it the “City of Lights.”

Other lawmakers, including Saeed Ghani, Agha Siraj Durrani, Dr Sohrab Sarki, Anil Kumar, Kiran Masood, and Taha Khan, also addressed the House before it was prorogued.

Earlier in the day, CM Murad Ali Shah attended a Minorities Day celebration at Swami Narayan Temple, where he voiced concerns over forced conversions, particularly involving children. He later visited a local Gurdwara alongside Sikh community leaders, reiterating the government’s commitment to protecting religious freedoms.