Islamabad, Aug 12 (IANS): Pakistan is a strong advocate of pluralism and diversity with interfaith harmony as a marked feature of its national identity, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.

"I am happy to state that the empowerment of our minority communities has taken the centrestage of public policy, as successive governments have allocated resources and implemented policies aimed at their mainstreaming and empowerment," Sharif said on Friday in a message to mark the National Day of Minorities.

The South Asian country's constitution guarantees the provision of social, political, religious and economic rights to all citizens without any discrimination of caste, creed and colour, according to the Prime Minister as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

The minority communities are part and parcel of Pakistani nationalism, he added.

"From defence to education, health and social service, there is no walk of life where our non-Muslim brothers and sisters have not played their role in the socio-economic development of the country," Sharif said.