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The Worker Welfare Board Sindh (WWBS) has decided to include women and minority community industrial workers in its electric motorbike (e-bike) scheme.
According to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), this decision was announced on National Minorities Day. The day is observed in memory of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s historic August 11, 1947 speech, in which he stressed equal rights for all citizens, regardless of religion.
WWBS Secretary Rafiq Qureshi highlighted the symbolic meaning of Pakistan’s national flag. He said the white colour represents minorities and their equal rights.
In its statement, WWBS shared several other initiatives for workers’ welfare. Under the Accidental Health Insurance Scheme, workers will now get annual medical coverage of PKR 700,000. Treatment will be available at 270 hospitals nationwide.
The board also announced a major housing project. Flats for workers will be replaced with solar-powered homes. WWBS-run schools will be shifted to solar energy, and students will receive free uniforms every year.
Sindh’s Labour Secretary said Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has approved an increase in welfare grants. Death grants will rise from PKR 1 million, while marriage assistance will increase from PKR 300,000 to PKR 500,000.
He added that the WWBS is digitizing all operations to ensure transparent and fair services for workers.
Religious freedom remains a challenge in Pakistan. According to Sebastien Lorion from the European Union, mob attacks, forced conversions, and blasphemy accusations occur repeatedly.
Last month, Minister of State for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Khesomal Kheel Das admitted that minority communities face administrative and governance-related issues. He said the National Commission for Minority Rights law has been passed by both houses of parliament and is now awaiting presidential approval.
Read More: Working women in Sindh to get 10,000 e-bikes
EU-Supported minority rights project
With European Union support, a project to promote minority rights is being implemented in Punjab and Sindh. The initiative is led by the Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights and the Centre for Social Justice.
In July 2025, a group of non-Muslim senators wrote to Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani. They demanded the formation of a Minority Caucus to ensure proper representation of their rights in the upper house.
Last year, Pakistan Minorities Movement Chairman Peter Charles Sahotra said minorities continue to face insecurity and discrimination. He urged the government to guarantee the rights provided to minorities under the Constitution.
