PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has taken an important step to protect the rights of the minority community by providing four kanals of land for cremation grounds for Hindu and Sikh communities in Dera Ismail Khan district.
According to the spokesperson of the Office of the Minister for Auqaf, Hajj, Religious and Minority Affairs, Provincial Minister Sahibzada Muhammad Adnan Qadri officially handed over two kanals of land to the Hindu community and two kanals to the Sikh community.

On this occasion, the provincial minister said that the protection of religious freedom and minority rights is the top priority of the government, while minorities are a respectable and equal part of the society. He said that the government is taking practical steps to promote justice, equality and religious tolerance in accordance with the principles of the State of Medina.

According to Adnan Qadri, crores of rupees are being spent on minority places of worship, religious festivals and welfare projects, while educational scholarships for minority students, financial assistance for widows, orphans and special persons are also being provided.

He said that an endowment fund of Rs 200 million has been established for the rehabilitation of the minority community affected by terrorism, while a special fund of Rs 100 million has also been allocated for the development of the Kailash community.

The provincial minister said that work is also underway on projects for providing land for minority cemeteries, crematoriums and places of worship, solarization and rehabilitation of places of worship. According to him, committees are active at the provincial and district levels to promote interfaith harmony, while more steps will be taken to protect the social, educational, economic and religious rights of minorities.

On the other hand, representatives of the Hindu and Sikh communities thanked the government, terming this step of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government as historic and welcome.