Daily Times

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) believes in plural society; therefore, its government in Sindh has enacted laws under which forced conversion of the religion and child marriages have been completely banned.

This he said while talking to an American delegation led by USA Special Advisor Religious Minorities Knox Thames. The other delegation members were Razi Hashmi Officer Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor, Anne Sackville-West Political Officer, and Robert Silberstein Consul General of USA in Karachi. The chief minister was assisted by Minister Education Saeed Ghani, Minister Religious Affairs and Local Government Syed Nasir Shah, CM’s Advisor on Law Murtaza Wahab and PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro.

The chief minister said that Sindh is the land of Sufis: therefore, people of this province naturally respected human rights, co-existence and lived with harmony with the people of other religions. “This is the reason that no inter-religious disputes have ever emerged in the province,” he said.

The USA Special Advisor for Religious Minorities said that the student from primary classes should be given human rights education so that they start respecting other religions and thoughts of their people when they grow up.

Saeed Ghani said that the Muslim students were given education of Islamiat in religious education period while Hindus and Christian students were taught civics education in their religious education period. He said that as an education minister, he was working out a plan to impart religious education to the students of their respective religion they belonged to.

The chief minister said that his party gave tickets to three Hindus candidates on general seats in general election of 2018, of them Dr Mahesh returned as a MNA from Tharparkar, and Harim Ram and Gianchand as MPAs from Mirpur Khas and Thano Boolakah, Jamshoro, respectively.

He added that the PPP had never won the seat of Mirpur Khas city but our Hindu candidate won this Muslim majority seat. “This is evidence how much our people respect Hindus in Sindh.”

Shah said that his government had passed a law under which nobody could change his/her religion before attaining the age of 18. “Now, the forced conversion of the religion had become contrary to the law,” he said and added that child marriage had also been banned. “The marriage age starts from 18 years ,” he said.

The chief minister said that earlier there was no law to register Hindu marriages and now the Sindh Assembly had passed Hindu Marriage Act. He said that he belonged to Sehwan, the land of Sufi Lal Shahbaz Qalander where people of different religions gather to celebrate his Urs. “The same position is at other shrines such as Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sachal Sarmast and others where Hindu, Muslims and Christian observe their Urs collectively,” he said.

The visiting American delegation appreciated the Sindh government efforts for giving equal rights to the religious minorities.

Separately, Murad Ali Shah said that Federal Minister Muard Saeed visited Karachi but did not meet him. He said the minister had to meet him on Sehwan-Jamshoro road matter. He said the PTI leaders and federal ministers were taking U-turn on every statement. He was speaking with journalists during his visit at Sehwan.

He said that PTI leaders announced that they will commit suicide but they will not take loan from IMF. He said that they said that if inflation rate will increase, the rulers will be thief. He said that PTI rulers and leaders dissolved my Sindh government several times in statements.

He said that PTI leaders have sent me Jails various time through issuing such type statements and giving impressions. He said that we don’t believe on statements of PTI and we thinks like as we had not listened. He said that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto raised questions about problems of people. He said that People of Sindh has given the mandate to PPP. He said that I have talked with chief election commissioner on letter of IG. He said that IG Sindh Syed Kalim Imam has become controversial. He said that completely Sindh cabinet has demanded to remove IG Sindh. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has promised with me to transfer IG Sindh but he has followed U turn. He said that central government has agreed to transfer IG Sindh. He said that central government was victimizing the people of Sindh and in other provinces; the officers were transferred in 24 hours but not in Sindh. He said that one journalist and MPA were murdered but police was not playing its role in both cases. He said that it was our demand that police should arrest the culprit, if any one was involved in murder of journalist Aziz Memon. He said that police was not capable to arrest any culprit.

He said that SC bar council has demanded the resignation of law minister but it was their own wish of central government to follow or not. Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that federal government has not completed Sehwan-Jamshoro Indus Highway. He said that several lives of human were lost at Sehwan-Jamshoro highway. He said that Sindh government has paid seven billion rupees on construction of Sehwan-Jamshoro road and total expenditure of 14 billion rupees would be occurred. He said that Murad Saeed was made federal minister because he was speaking more. He said that Jamshoro district was related with Sindh Chief Minister hence it was un-justice with him for not constructing Jamshoro-Sehwan road. He said that we have this demand to return seven billion rupees to Sindh and Sindh government will complete this road.