Govt will help Muslims, says Arjun

Riyadh: Union Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh has assured Muslims that their status as a minority community will not only be protected but also enhanced.

While addressing a gathering of Indian expatriates in Riyadh, Singh expressed the UPA government's commitment to safeguarding the rights of minorities.

Singh was speaking at a reception hosted in his honour by the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys's Association (AMUOBA) on Wednesday night.

The Minister's assurance on protecting the minorities' rights was in response to an earlier appeal from AMUOBA's president Misbahul Arifin, who expressed disappointment over the UPA's "cold attitude towards our issues."

Arifin urged the Government to explicitly recognise the minority character of AMU and make necessary changes in the Constitution and the 1981 Act.

He said the government's move to reserve 27 per cent seats for OBCs in higher institutions has been welcomed by the Muslims in general.

Its benefit, he said, will only be felt "when your government machinery ensures that Muslims, who constitute almost nine per cent of all OBCs, get their due share."

Singh said the government had already challenged the verdict of the Allahabad High Court through the Supreme Court, which had stayed the court order.

"Since the case is subjudice, I cannot comment anything more at this stage. But I would like to assure you that our government is fully committed to protecting the minority rights," he said amid cheers from the audience.

On the subject of conducting examinations for NRI students appearing for professional courses, the Minister announced that the government had accepted the proposal. "I am happy to inform you that the HRD Ministry has accepted it and the system will be in place before the next academic session."

He also said that the Saudi Minister of Higher Education had assured him that Indian degrees would be recognised in Saudi Arabia under an arrangement that is being worked out by Indian and Saudi Equivalence Committees.

"I am assured that this matter would cease to be a problem," he said, adding that he had taken it up pointedly during his meeting with Saudi Minister for Higher Education Dr Khaled Al-Angari on Wednesday.

Regarding the classification of Indian expatriates, Singh said India's Ambassador MOH Farook had made a number of suggestions in this regard.

"On returning to Delhi I shall see how we can deal with them to the satisfaction of the Indian community, whose welfare is always our prime concern. I would request you to be a little patient and give us some time so that you will be able to walk with your heads held high," he said.