A/HRC/37/13 136. Slovakia was concerned about alleged torture, the death penalty and the situation of certain groups that were stateless. 137. Slovenia appreciated the National Curriculum Council’s intentions to reform the school curriculum by including themes such as tolerance, human rights and democracy. 138. South Africa noted the active role of Pakistan in, and firm commitment to, the development agenda and the right to development. 139. South Sudan noted the establishment of the National Commission for Human Rights and the National Commission on the Rights of the Child. 140. Spain welcomed the establishment of the Ministry of Human Rights and efforts to protect transgender persons and women. 141. Sri Lanka welcomed the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. 142. Nicaragua praised the policies and measures to strengthen development and social inclusion, combat discrimination and tackle climate change. 143. Concerning minorities, the delegation of Pakistan stated that the Constitution protected their right to profess their religion and visit their places of worship. The Constitution and legislation prohibited any discrimination on the basis of caste, colour or creed. 144. Pakistan had been leading global efforts to combat intolerance and hate speech. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony was formulating a policy on national interfaith harmony to ensure the political participation of minorities. Festivals had been officially celebrated for the Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Kalash communities. There was a five-per-cent job quota for minorities in all federal services. 145. For the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights, the delegation highlighted that, in conformity with health-related Sustainable Development Goals, the National Health Vision (2016–2025) provided a comprehensive approach to improve access to quality health services. The launching of the Prime Minister’s National Health Programme was a major step towards achieving universal health coverage. Enhancing access to good quality education was part of Vision 2025; the education budget had more than doubled since 2010. 146. Pakistan took its international human rights obligations very seriously and continued to strengthen cooperation and engagement with the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the special procedures. Pakistan had had three of its reports reviewed by treaty bodies in 2017. 147. Since 1979, Pakistan had hosted more than twice the number of refugees than all the European countries put together in the past five years. Neither the problems of Pakistan nor the Afghan refugee situation should be underestimated or overshadowed. Pakistan was committed to pursuing voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in safety and with dignity. 148. The delegation encouraged India to stick to the focus of the universal periodic review, which was a constructive process. It invited India to honour its obligations to the United Nations, especially on Jammu and Kashmir, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions. 149. The Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the substantive exchange of views and inputs from member and observer States. He reiterated that the protection and promotion of human rights was anchored in the national constitutional framework of Pakistan and that the promotion of human rights was a national duty to its people. 150. He underlined that it was important to understand some of the challenges concerning implementation of recommendations in the broader historical context. After the incidents of 11 September 2001, Pakistan had once again became a frontline State in the war against terrorism; erstwhile Jihadists turned terrorists had entered the country. The spillover of those wars had had a far-reaching impact on society in Pakistan. 9