ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Umer Ata Bandial Thursday said every citizen of Pakistan had the right to profess and practice their respective faiths adding that courts, being the custodian of fundamental rights of the people, had always been cognizant of the rights of minorities.
The chief justice expressed these views during a meeting with an eight-member delegation of Sikh community headed by Samuel Payara, Chairman Implementation Minority Rights Forum.
The delegation comprised Baba Makhan Singh, Baba Gurpal Singh, Dr. Sahib Singh, Sardar Bishan Singh, Amrik Singh, Kaka Singh, Satnam Singh and Dharam Singh.
The chief justice briefed them on the rights of minorities as enshrined in the Constitution.
He said the courts in Pakistan had always been cognizant of the rights of minorities and delivered judgments to enforce, implement and address issues faced by them.
The chief justice said considerable strides had been made to safeguard the religious properties of minorities, particularly of the Christian and Hindu communities.
The delegation apprised the chief justice of the Sikh history and various issues, including security and protection of their religious properties.
The chief justice termed safety of the minorities’ rights the fundamental duty of the state and assured the delegates of taking up the matter with the authorities concerned. Later, the delegation presented a golden Kirpan to the chief justice as a token of respect and gesture of goodwill.
