Minorities’ Rights Commission crucial for participatory democracy

Islamabad:A roundtable consultation meeting convened by CSJ bringing together diverse participants including politicians, lawyers, media representatives, members of National Human Rights Institutions, and civil society organisations (CSOs) deliberated upon the issue of establishment of a National Commission for Minority Rights.

The consultation concluded that on-going democratic transition required a proactive engagement of the stakeholders in legislative oversight, the establishment of new institutions, and monitoring performance of both government and opposition in parliament. It further resolved that achieving participatory democracy requires honouring the long-standing demand for an autonomous and independent Commission for Minorities’ Rights to address imbalances created by majoritarian approaches in statecraft.

Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the statutory Commission should have the representatives of minorities instead of bureaucrats dominating it. The independent commission should be under the Ministry of Human Rights instead of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. ‘The religious affairs ministry is already over-burdened with Haj matters, and it is basically a human rights issue and not a religious issue.’

The federal statutory commission must be based on Paris Principles to ensure autonomy. At present none of the statutory commissions like the National Commission on Human Rights, National Commission of Status of Women and the National Commission of the Rights of the Child is based on Paris Principles and that was why they have no right to vote at international platforms like the UN Human Rights Council, he said.

Peter Jacob, Executive Director CSJ, appreciated the Federal Cabinet's recent approval of a draft bill and urged the government to invite expert and CSO input. “An autonomous and empowered decision-making guided by human rights principles without government interference was essential”, he added.

Dr. A H Nayyar, a human rights defender stressed that the size of the proposed NCMR should have maximum 15 commission members representing minority communities to make it representative and operational. Moreover, the commission's mandate should be safeguarding human rights and should exclude oversight of matters pertaining to the Evacuee Trust Property Board or its representation.

Advocate Aneeque Zia, Director of Legal Affairs at the International Monitoring Commission, stated that the National Minority Rights Commission should be affiliated with the Ministry of Human Rights to ensure its independence and autonomy, as well as compliance with Pakistan's Constitution and international treaties.

Sheherazade Amin, a Human Rights Lawyer and Legal Affairs Officer at the NCRC, emphasised that the commission's key function is to monitor constitutional and legal safeguards for minorities. She further expressed hope that the Ministry of Law and Justice, along with the Ministry of Human Rights, would facilitate the introduction of the act this year.