Minorities want Sindh not to repeal bill in their favour

Islamabad

The Chairman Pakistan Interfaith League (PIL), Sajid Ishaq expressed shock over the statement attributed to the former president and co-Chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari in which he has reportedly promised to Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Sirajul Haq that he would repeal the recently passed ‘Protection of Minorities Bill 2015’ by the Sindh Assembly.

“I am really shocked and dismayed if this statement is true. It was after a long struggle by the minority communities, particular the Hindu community, that the PPP government in Sindh passed this legislation to prevent forced conversion, especially of the young and under-age Hindu girls. The passage of the bill was widely welcomed and appreciated by majority of people all over the country in general and by the minority communities in particular,’ Sajid Ishaq said.

The Sindh Assembly on November 24, 2016, passed the ‘Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill 2015, making forced conversion a crime under the law. The bill was tabled by Nand Kumar Goklani of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) last year.

“It was the first right step by any of the PPP governments at the national or provincial levels in favor of the minority communities. The PPP government failed to increase the number of seats for the minority communities in the Upper and Lower houses of the Parliament or in the provincial assemblies besides many more steps the minority communities of Pakistan have been pressing for a long time,” the PIL chairman said.

He said that this ‘Protection of Minorities Bill 2015’ passed by the Sindh Assembly, was particularly aimed at prevention of the young Hindu girls in Sindh, being abducted and then converted.

“This practice of conversion on one hand had provided legal cover to the heinous crime of abduction while on the other had created a sense of helplessness and desperation among the members of the Hindu, in particular, and other minority communities in general,” Sajid Ishaq said.

“I still don’t want to believe that Mr Zardari had given such an assurance to the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, Sirajul Haq. And if it is true then I would like to demand of him to immediately withdraw this assurance, which indeed has hurt the feelings of the minority communities all over Pakistan,” he said.

He said that at the same time he would like to appeal to the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami not to press any such demand.  

“We had expected that the JI will support this bill, which is aimed at providing relief and protecting the vulnerable minority communities of Pakistan, especially the Hindu community in the Sindh province. Such demands from the religious parties in the Muslim-dominated society would only make the members of the minority communities feel more helpless and invoke fear in their hearts,” Sajid Ishaq said.

He urged the Muslim scholars, religious leaders, political parties’ heads and intellectuals to join hands and create a society in Pakistan where the religious harmony should thrive, tolerance be promoted, and respect for each others’ beliefs flourish because these are the key factors to defeat extremism and terrorism.

“We have to learn to live in peace and harmony as equal citizens in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan where nobody should be persecuted because of his or her faith, sect, or ethnicity. Amidst the prevailing conditions such promises as the one made by Mr Zardari or such demands as the one made by the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami will only confuse people and will promote mistrust instead of bringing them closer together,” the PIL chairman said.