LAHORE - Provincial Minister for Minorities Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora chaired a consultative meeting with religious minority members of the Punjab Assembly at his camp office. The meeting focused on addressing the issues faced by religious minority communities in the province and discussed possible solutions. The meeting was attended by Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) Ejaz Alam Augustine, Emmanuel Athar, Baba Felbous Christopher, Shakeela Arthur, Parliamentary Secretary Sonia Asher, Secretary of Human Rights & Minority Affairs Ali Bahadur Qazi, and other relevant officials. During the meeting, the minister praised Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz and mentioned that on December 20, the “Minority Cards” will be issued across Punjab. These cards will help ensure the resolution of issues faced by religious minorities and will serve as another gift for the minority communities. Earlier, a proposal was made to allocate a 5% quota for religious minorities in the Laptop Scheme, and steps are being taken to implement the 2pc quota in higher educational institutions for religious minorities at all costs. The meeting also emphasized that an additional secretary-level focal person will be appointed by the Department of Human Rights & Minorities Affairs to monitor the implementation of initiatives across various departments, ensuring timely completion of all relevant measures. This decision was made after noting that no definitive report on the implementation of such measures had been submitted in the past. MPA Ejaz Alam Augustine pointed out that religious minorities have not been given equal opportunities in employment in the past and suggested that reports should be collected from every district to check if any religious minority lands or properties are facing encroachments. Arora informed the meeting that the “Minority Cards” will be distributed through an app, with support from the Bank of Punjab. Additionally, the CM Punjab has included Easter, Baisakhi, and Diwali under the Christmas grant scheme to ensure religious minorities can celebrate their festivals in a more inclusive manner. The minister instructed the secretary of Human Rights to ensure that Law and Order meetings will be held every quarterly , with follow-up on all decisions to ensure timely resolution of issues. The participants of the meeting agreed to work closely with the Punjab Government to take all necessary steps to resolve the issues faced by religious minority communities in the province, ensuring that their difficulties are addressed effectively.