Dayal, 55, serves as a member of the Pakistan Hindu Temple Management Committee under the federal Ministry of Religious Affairs.

The ABHCKP, a more than a decade old body, held a provincial consultative meeting on Saturday in Kohat district and discussed the challenges facing the Balmik Hindu community in the province and also a future roadmap for its welfare and constitutional rights.

The meeting brought together representatives from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including community elders (Sarpanchs), local presidents of Balmik Sabhas, Hindu priests and religious scholars, lawyers, social activists, government officials, educationists, teachers, businesspersons and youth representatives.

Participants discussed constitutional safeguards, legal reforms, social inclusion and measures to strengthen the community, Dayal, the ABHCKP president told PTI.

Addressing the gathering, Dayal said the Balmik Hindu community, like many other vulnerable minority communities in Pakistan, continued to face challenges relating to legal protection, civil registration, education and equal opportunities.

He announced the launch of a province-wide outreach campaign and the formation of a provincial cabinet, with priorities including youth and women’s leadership, improved access to legal documentation such as birth registration, marriage registration, national identity cards and inheritance rights, policy advocacy with provincial and federal institutions, and the promotion of interfaith harmony through education and media.

Dayal, widely known for his work on human rights, interfaith harmony and the protection of minority rights, is a founding member of the Pakistan Council of World Religions (PCWR) and a leading member of the National Lobbying Delegation for Minority Rights.

The community also urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to ensure full implementation of constitutional guarantees relating to fundamental rights and the protection of minorities, Dayal said.

He called upon the Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure implementation of Article 9, 10, 20, 25, 27 and 36 of the Constitution of Pakistan, all pertaining to minority and human rights.

He also called on the federal government and Parliament to expedite minority personal laws and protection mechanisms, while appealing to national and international human rights organisations, UN agencies, diplomatic missions and civil society to support the empowerment and protection of vulnerable minority communities in Pakistan.

During the ceremony, community elders and religious leaders honoured the newly elected president by applying a traditional tilak, presenting flower garlands and placing a traditional Pashtun turban on his head.

Devotional hymns were recited and prayers were offered for peace, equality and prosperity for all citizens of Pakistan.

Dayal later visited senior members of the community in Kohat to seek their blessings, the statement added.

According to the 2023 Digital Population and Housing Census, which remains the most authoritative data as yet, the Hindu population in the province was about 5,090, which rose to 5392 in 2017.

The Hindu population declined sharply after the 1947 Partition. Small Hindu community clusters remain mainly in Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and parts of Hazara.