MPAs form caucus on religious harmony

LAHORE
With the aim to eliminate extremism and strengthen equality amongst all citizens of Pakistan, the members of the Punjab Assembly have formed a religious harmony and freedom caucus.
Sardar Vikas Hassan Mokal, a Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid MPA, notified it here Thursday.
He said the caucus would be part of the youth caucus of the assembly. Its purpose is to safeguard the rights of minorities in the light of the Constitution of Pakistan. The caucus would also help improve implementation of National Action Plan.
A large number of MPAs from various parties took part in the meeting and unanimously pledged to improve conditions of minorities in the country.
The MPAs also resolved to address religious freedom within the broader context of human rights in the true spirit of the international covenants.
They said the caucus would work towards bringing necessary improvements in the policy reforms and laws to lessen grievances of and discrimination against religious minorities.
It was also resolved that without eliminating extremism, we could not end terrorism from the country. All said that Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s speech of 11th August provided them direction and vision in this regard.
The members agreed that recent developments in the country too indicate that the state seemed determined to address the root-causes of terrorism.
The National Action Plan and Supreme Court June verdict of June 2014 must be implemented in letter and spirit, said all participants.
The caucus members highly appreciated organisation for assisting MPAs to form the caucus. The MPAs noted that the lawmakers should be given appropriate support to carry out their legislative and oversight role effectively.
Sardar Vikas Mokal, Chair of Youth Caucus, Mary Gill of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, PTI MPA Shunila Ruth, Khurram Jahangir Wattoo of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Dr Nausheen Hamid of PTI, and other MPAs played a key role in formation of the caucus.
Some of them were: PML-N’s Khwaja Imran Nazir, parliamentary secretary, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Lubna Faisal, Saira Iftikhar, Farah Manzoor Khan, Dr Aliya Aftab, Shameela Aslam, Tehseen Fawad, Nighat Sheikh, Shehzadi Kabir, Khaula Amjad, Nasreen Nawaz, Amir Hayat.
From PTI, Sadia Sohail Rana, Asif Saeed, Taimoor Masood, Naheed Naeem, Nabeela Hakim Ali Khan, Raja Rashid Hafeez, Rahila Anwar, Naeem Ullah Gill, and independent MPA Ehsan Riaz Fatyana.