ZUBAIR QURESHI
The Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights (PCHR) has called for the immediate establishment and activation of the National Commission for Minority Rights to ensure effective protection of religious minorities and translate constitutional guarantees into practical rights and equal citizenship.
The demand was made at a seminar organised here Monday by the PCHR at the National Press Club in connection with National Minorities Day. Speakers stressed the need for effective implementation of laws, meaningful inclusion of minority communities and greater promotion of tolerance and social harmony.
Speaking on the occasion, MNA and PCHR Chairman Riaz Fatyana said the basic philosophy behind the Pakistan Resolution was to protect minorities from the domination of the majority and guarantee their legitimate rights.
He said denying minorities their rights would amount to negating the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who had envisaged Pakistan as a country where all citizens enjoyed equal rights.
Mr Fatyana urged the government to make the National Commission for Minority Rights functional at the earliest so that members of minority communities could approach it for protection of their rights.
Referring to Article 25 of the Constitution, he said it clearly guaranteed equality before the law. He observed that society had once witnessed greater participation of people from different communities in minority-related programmes, but intolerance and social divisions had gradually created bitterness.
MNA and former federal minister Kamran Michael said minorities were equal citizens of Pakistan and had actively participated in the struggle for independence. He said the sacrifices made by people from different communities during the Pakistan Movement had contributed to the creation of Pakistan and all citizens therefore deserved equal rights.
He said minorities should not be required to repeatedly prove their patriotism, stressing that Pakistan was their home as much as anyone else’s and that every citizen had a responsibility to contribute to the country’s development and protect it.
PCHR Executive Director Shafique Chaudhry said enactment of the National Commission for Minority Rights Act was an important milestone, but its real success would depend on effective implementation and ensuring that legal protections reached minority communities at the grassroots level.
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt said non-Muslim citizens were entitled to equal rights in an Islamic state as well as in Pakistan. He said Christmas celebrations at the National Press Club were organised in the same spirit as Eid celebrations, with minority families invited to participate.
He called for spreading a message of love, tolerance and happiness throughout society.
Pandit Rakesh Chand highlighted the difficulties faced by the Hindu community in the twin cities, saying that 79 years after the creation of Pakistan, there was no temple in Rawalpindi or Islamabad where Hindus could freely perform their religious rituals.
He urged the government to facilitate the establishment of a temple in the twin cities to enable the Hindu community to practise its faith freely.
HWP-L representative Waheed Javed said Quaid-e-Azam had assured minorities of equal rights and called for a collective commitment to building a society based on peace, brotherhood and tolerance.
Civil society representative William Pervez said non-Muslim residents of Islamabad’s informal settlements lived under constant fear of eviction and demolition. He urged the government to formulate a clear policy for such settlements and provide protection to their residents.
The seminar concluded with performances of national songs by minority girls, which were warmly appreciated by the participants.
