ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Senate was informed on Friday that about 19,936 Sikhs and Hindus Yatrees from Indian have tripped Pakistan to visit their sacred places during the last five years.
While responding to a question during the questions hour, the Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRAN) Abdul Qadir Baloch said that no agreement has been signed with India where by Pakistani Sikhs and Hindus will visit-India to witness sacred places.
The SAFRON minister said that during the last five years, 751,930 Pakistani pilgrims performed Hajj. He said that the ministry has no mandate to send Pakistani Zaireen to Iraq, Iran and Syria.
To another question, the minister said that the federal government had taken various steps to enhance the role of religious scholars in promoting a counter narrative against extremist ideology in seminaries since the inception of National Action Plan (NAP).
The minister said that the ‘National Ulema and Mashaikh Council’ has been established by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony to promote tolerance and inter-faith harmony in the society.