CM Maryam exempts Sikh riders from helmet law, expands Punjab Minority Card scheme

LAHORE (Web Desk) – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has exempted the Sikh community from the motorcycle helmet law and announced an increase in the Minority Card scheme from 75,000 to 100,000 beneficiaries.

Addressing a Christmas ceremony at the Cathedral Church, Maryam Nawaz said Sikh riders were being exempted due to the religious requirement of wearing a turban, which makes helmet use difficult. She stated that Pakistan, and particularly Punjab, had embraced minorities as a crown on its head, adding that the true measure of government success was the safety of minorities.

She warned that anyone harming minorities or violating their rights would face the full force of the state. The Chief Minister also ordered immediate steps to resolve the issue of graveyards for minorities across Punjab.

Maryam Nawaz said that an inclusive and minority-friendly Punjab should be the dream of every citizen of Pakistan, stressing that protecting minorities was a greater responsibility of the Muslim majority. She highlighted that government welfare initiatives do not discriminate on the basis of religion and pledged to personally stand like a wall in defence of minorities.