Zulfikar Bukhari says decisions involving minorities in Pakistan in line with PTI’s vision to emulate the model of Riyasat-e-Madina

The government is working to develop a ‘Buddhist trail’ winding through the provinces of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, along with Pakistan-administered Kashmir, to attract Buddhist pilgrims from across the world, said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari on Sunday.

Addressing a ceremony to mark ‘Welcome Christians Season’ in Islamabad, Bukhari said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government was committed to establishing trails for foreign pilgrims who wished to visit their holy sites in Pakistan. This will open brand new avenues for religious tourism, he added.

The current government is committed to launching new initiatives for minorities, said Bukhari, adding this was in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision to transform Pakistan along the principles of the state of Madina during the rule of Islam’s Prophet. Bukhari also announced the construction of a new church in the federal capital.

The ceremony was also addressed by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority Ali Nawaz Awan, who assured those attending that efforts were underway to resolve the problems facing the residents of Islamabad. He said the federal cabinet had approved a draft bill, the Christian Marriage and Divorce Act 2019, to make long-desired changes to the Christian Divorce Act 1869 and Christian Marriage Act 1872 that Pakistan had inherited from British rule of India.