Ministry of Minorities (Pakistan)

The head of the ministry was known as the Minister for Minorities and was a member of the federal cabinet.

Until September 2004, the functions of this ministry were carried out by the Minorities Wing of the former Ministry of Minorities, Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs - but it remained underfunded for some time.

This changed when it was upgraded to a fully-fledged, independent Ministry of Minorities, founded under President Musharraf.

The role of minister was awarded to a Christian activist, Shahbaz Bhatti,[2] who served in this position until March 2, 2011, when he was assassinated in Islamabad.

[3] In July 2011, the Government of Pakistan closed the Minorities Affairs Ministry as part of a decentralization plan that would see powers in this area transferred to the provinces.