LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has exempted the Sikh community from the law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets, and also announced an increase in the number of Minority Cards from 75,000 to 100,000.
Speaking on the occasion, Maryam Nawaz said the Sikh community has been exempted from wearing helmets while riding motorcycles due to the religious requirement of wearing a turban, which makes it difficult for them to wear helmets.
She said Pakistan, and Punjab in particular, is a place where minorities have truly been given respect and protection. The true measure of a government’s success, she added, is the safety of minorities, and the state will respond with full force to anyone who harms minorities or violates their rights.
Addressing a Christmas ceremony at the Cathedral Church, she extended Christmas greetings to the Christian community and reiterated the announcement to increase the Minority Card quota from 75,000 to 100,000. She also directed immediate steps to resolve the issue of graveyards for minorities across Punjab.
Maryam Nawaz said an inclusive and minority-friendly Punjab should be a dream not only of Maryam Nawaz but of every citizen living in Pakistan. She added that the responsibility of protecting minorities rests more heavily on Muslims, as they are in the majority. She noted that cities were decorated for Christmas, “Merry Christmas” banners were displayed, and the largest Christmas tree and Santa Claus were installed at Liberty Chowk.
She further said that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had said that whoever commits injustice against minorities, he would stand as a witness for the minority. She added that no government welfare program — including the Dhee Rani Program, ration cards, Honahar scholarships, or the Kisan Card — asks about a person’s religion. Recalling an example, she said she was deeply moved when a Christian girl named Maryam received a scholarship.
The chief minister said she would not allow anyone to confront or harm minorities, stressing that Punjab is a safer and better place for them. She warned that if any member of a minority community is wronged, she will stand like a wall of steel in their defense, adding that a government which fails to protect minorities has no right to remain in power.
