LAHORE, PAKISTAN (1 December 2025) — At its annual meeting in Lahore, Minority Concern urged the Government of Pakistan to take concrete steps toward building a pluralistic and inclusive society by actively promoting Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s landmark address to the first Constituent Assembly on 11 August 1947, delivered just three days before the creation of Pakistan.
Director of Minority Concern, Aftab Alexander Mughal, emphasized that the principles outlined by the founding father—equality of citizenship, protection of minority rights, freedom of religion, and the separation of faith from state affairs—remain the most visionary roadmap for national unity and social harmony. In that speech, Jinnah stated: “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques, or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste, or creed—that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”
Minority Concern expressed deep alarm over the rise in discrimination, hate speech, and religiously motivated violence against minorities across the country, emphasizing that reaffirming the Quaid’s pluralistic vision is essential to safeguarding minority communities.
The organization urged the government to:
- Display the 11 August speech in Parliament and incorporate it as the preamble to the Constitution.
- Integrate the speech into curricula across schools, colleges, and universities.
- Disseminate the message through media outreach, and civic education programmes.
- State policies should be aligned with Jinnah’s commitments to equal citizenship, religious freedom, and the protection of minority communities.
Minority Concern stated that a Pakistan where minorities feel safe, respected, and empowered reflects the very essence of the country’s founding principles. It is time for the state to honour this commitment.
Anne Muskan, Ashiknaz Khokhar, Ayub Ejaz, Dr. Aneel Samuel, Foza Aftab, Imran Morris, Kamran Ch. Liaba Zainab, Minhas Justine, Patras Dewan, Sohail Alam and Stella Zafar also spoke during the event.
Minority Concern is a UK-based human rights advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of minorities in Pakistan.
