A meeting of the Minority Cards Steering Committee was held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Provincial Minister for Minorities Affairs, Ramesh Singh Arora. The session brought encouraging news for religious minority families across the province, as it was decided to increase the number of minority cards from 50,000 to 75,000. Speaking at the meeting, Ramesh Singh Arora said that facilitating religious minorities was part of the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

He added that the welfare of minority communities remains among the top priorities of the Punjab government. According to a briefing given during the meeting, over 40,000 minority families had already get benefited from the Minority Card initiative. In the first phase, 50,000 cards were being distributed, while preparations for launching the second phase were under way. 

The provincial minister also directed the development of a digital application to maintain accurate data on religious minorities. He instructed all relevant deputy commissioners to complete the distribution of the cards within five days. Arora issued a stern warning that the cards of individuals showing negligence or misconduct will be canceled.

He also directed concerned commissioners to resolve all pending cases without delay.The meeting was attended by Secretary Human Rights Rai Ali Bahadur Qazi, Additional Secretary Rizwana Naveed and representatives from various concerned departments.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)