Hyderabad: The death toll from a gas leakage blast at Hyderabad’s Pathan Colony a few days ago climbed to 5 on Thursday.

According to the details, the incident took place a few days ago women forgot to turn off the gas at night and in the morning an explosion occurred when the stove was lit in the kitchen.

The injured were under treatment at a hospital in Karachi. 

Those who lost their lives in the incident were 65-year-old Ratan, 60-year-old Sawatri, their young daughter, and another person.

Islamabad: Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah along with his family on Thursday departed for Saudi Arabia on five-day visit to perform Umrah.

The minister departed for Jeddah from Islamabad International Airport at 11 a.m, said a statement issued here.

The minister would perform Umrah besides attendance at Roza Rasool (PBUH) in Madina. Sanaullah would also hold meetings with his Saudi counterpart and other senior officials.

The minister would also talk with Saudi officials to further strengthen Pak-Saudi bilateral relations.

Islamabad: President Dr. Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have expressed the government's resolve to achieve the noble objective of building an inclusive society in line with the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

In their separate messages on the occasion of National Day of Minorities, they resolved to make all efforts to safeguard minorities' rights and work for their well-being as their rights have been enshrined in the Constitution.

The President lauded the role being played by minorities, especially in the fields of education, health, and social welfare.

He said 11th August is celebrated as Minorities' Day in Pakistan to acknowledge the invaluable contribution made by our minorities to the development of Pakistan and to reaffirm our commitment as a nation to safeguard their rights.

In his message, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said freedom of religion and sanctity of the person and properties of minorities have been statutorily formalized in our constitution.

He said National Day of Minorities serves to highlight the contributions that our non-Muslim Pakistani citizens are making to national development.  

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Mufti Abdul Shakoor has said that Islam is a religion that respects humanity.

In his message on the occasion of National Minorities Day, he said according to the eternal teachings of Islam, there is no rule against the basic principles of humanity.

The Minister said that Islam never encourages forced conversion of followers of other religions.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed the coalition government's resolve for the betterment and welfare of our minorities and their fullest inclusion in the national life and development.

National Minority Day is observed today to commemorate the contribution of minorities in the progress of Pakistan. 

On August 11, the day is observed every year to recall the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and to reaffirm the commitment that despite belonging to different faiths we are one nation.

The Government of Pakistan had declared 11 August as National Minority Day in 2009.