ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday made commitment with the minorities to give them protection, justice and equal rights as per the vision of the founder of the nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah, after coming to power.



“We would empower the weak and give them protection,” PTI chairman Imran Khan said while addressing the sit-in on 67th day at the Constitution Avenue. Pakistan would become an exemplary state where state would stand for the rights of the minorities, he added.



The PTI celebrated “minorities’ day” at the constitution avenue where representatives from Christian, Hindu and Sikh communities celebrated Diwali.



Khan started his speech with remorse, saying “I feel sorry that we have failed to give protection to minorities which are only five per cent of the total population.” The PTI chairman then referred to the Madina accord in which minorities were given protection and rights and said “we being Muslims have to follow that example.”



After making the promise of introducing a new justice system Khan said that “time is not far when you (PTI) would come to power.”



“I am hopeful that people from Hindu community, who had fled Pakistan after facing atrocities, would return when PTI comes to power,” he added.



Talking about the forced conversions, the PTI chairman said that “I feel sorry that Hindus and Kalash communities were forced to embrace Islam which actually was against the spirit of our religion.” In order to substantiate his point, Khan pointed out that “Muslims have spread Islam through their good conduct and not through the use of force.”



Khan referred to the example of United Kingdom where Muslims are being marginalised and said that such steps prompt the marginalised communities towards extremism. The PTI chairman also mentioned the misuse of laws against minorities, though he did not mention the blasphemy law specifically.



Though the day was to celebrate Diwali, Khan did not miss the opportunity to censure the ruling elite and talked about Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) recent rally in Karachi.



He said that democracy means rule of law and meritocracy, not families controlling power.



Talking to The Express Tribune, PTI’s Central Secretary Defence Brigadier (retd) Samson Simon Sharaf said that there should be equal rights for minorities but this was not the case today. “Jinnah’s Pakistan died a long ago and it is Imran Khan who has vowed to revive that,” he added.



Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2014.