ISLAMABAD- The federal government is likely to establish a new division after June 30 under the name of 'interfaith harmony division headed by a federal minister following the devolution of ministry of minorities to the provinces under the 18th Amendment. The government is mulling establishing the 'interfaith harmony division as the parliamentarians belonging to minorities and international community have built up pressure on the government, sources revealed. The sources said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had given assurance to State Minister for Minorities Affairs Akram Masih Gill and other minorities parliamentarians for establishing new interfaith harmony division as retaining the ministry of minorities was out of question after the 18th Amendment. The sources added that Gill and other minority leaders were not sure about the new division and they had expedited their efforts to keep the ministry intact. The sources in the ministry said Gill also had the support of international community on the issue, especially of France, as he had held many meetings with the ambassadors of France, Japan and other countries in Pakistan press his demand. The issue of devolution of the ministry of minorities took a serious turn when Gill along with other members belonging to minorities staged a sit-in in front of the National Assembly speakers dice in Lower House of the Parliament during the budget session one of the rare moments in the parliamentary history when a treasury member, also a state minister, staged a sit-in in the NA as a protest though Prime Minister Gilanis reaction was strong when he warned that he would sack his cabinet member if he did not end his protest. Talking to this scribe, Gill confirmed the PMs assurance, saying: The prime minister has given them assurance for the establishment of 'ministry for interfaith harmony after the devolution of Ministry of Minorities. However, he proposed that Ministry of Minorities should be retained with the federal government through the 20th Amendment or Prime Minister had the power to carve out a new ministry with some new name such as ministry for non-Muslims. The state minister also showed his astonishment that the government had decided to retain the Evacuee Property Trust Board with itself that had no relation, especially with the Christians, but the ministry was being devolved to the provinces. Gill made it clear that his protest in National Assembly was neither against the government nor the prime minister but for the rights of the minorities. To a question, he said that ambassadors of foreign countries had more concerns on the devolution of ministry were the common and they often used to inquire about him about the status of the ministry before he put the issue before them. Parliamentarians from the minorities have showed their reservations for a lot of time on the devolution of Minorities Ministry to the provinces under the 18th Amendment saying that they would loose their representation at the national level. They have the stance that neither they had representation in the constitutional amendments committee (Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms) that decided to devolve the ministry nor the Minorities Ministry was present in the concurrent list. A parliamentarian belonging minorities said on the condition of anonymity that that they had also reservations with the establishment of 'interfaith harmony division as it would have had more relation with the religious affairs ministry rather minorities. He said that there would be another question that either 'interfaith harmony division would be represented by majority or minorities with the proposal that its name should be 'interfaith harmony and minority division.