PCHR organizes meeting of Punjab’s first Parliamentary Working Group on Minority Rights
Peter Jacob draws attention to discriminatory content, marriage act, other pressing concerns
Punjab lawmakers, during the inaugural meeting of the Parliamentary Working Group on Minority Rights held in Lahore, committed to addressing forced conversions, child marriage, discriminatory practices, and broader challenges faced by religious minorities in the largest province of the country. The meeting, organized by the Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights (PCHR), also brought together members of civil society to build consensus on the urgent reforms.
Despite the Punjab government’s positive steps, including establishment of a Minority Advisory Council, expansion of scholarships, job quotas, special welfare schemes for minority families, the Minority Outreach Program, and provision of skill training opportunities for minority students, the ground realities remain alarming, Shafique Chaudhary, executive director of the Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights, pointed out while welcoming the lawmakers and other guests.
With references from the recent past examples, he noted that the minorities continue to face insecurity, discrimination, and faith-based violence. On the occasion, he highlighted that Pakistan’s constitution provides a strong foundation for safeguarding equality and inclusion. The Article 25 of the constitution guarantees that all citizens are equal before the law and that they are entitled to equal protection of law, while prohibiting discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, gender, residence, or place of birth.
Center for Social Justice (CSJ) Executive Director Peter Jacob drew attention to pressing concerns, including growing problem of the forced conversions, the long-pending Christian Marriage Act legislation in Punjab, discriminatory content in textbooks, denial of remission for non-Muslim prisoners under the 1976 Jail Manual, and policy gaps such as unequal access to various welfare schemes of the provincial government. He underlined that passing a law prohibiting marriage below 18 years of age would help curb forced conversions, since many such cases were linked to child marriages.
The lawmakers reaffirmed their resolve to prioritize legislation on forced conversions, child marriages, and misuse of blasphemy laws. MPA Falbous Christopher assured that he along with other working group members was ready to work with the civil society on bills against forced conversion, early age marriage and other discriminatory practices. “With joint efforts, we will be able to bring desired changes in the laws and policy framework,” he told the audience. He also shared details about different projects of the provincial government for religious minorities.
MPA Waseem Anjaam Sindhu pointed out ‘discrimination’ with Christian families at the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA), as the autonomous agency referred several youngsters to the courts to prove that they were part of the Christian community despite the fact their parents were Christians. He said that their young people were facing hurdles in receiving identity cards due to ‘clerical’ mistake in mentioning faith in their Child Registration Certificate – a crucial identification document for all minors under the age of 18.
MPA Ashifa Riaz Fatyana emphasized importance of bipartisan cooperation in advancing minority rights, while MPA Uzma Kardar highlighted need for stronger policy implementation to match legislative progress. She emphasized that the parliamentarians have a vital role to play in ensuring equal rights through unity and political will, stressing that this aligns with Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision in his August 11, 1947 address to the Constituent Assembly.
“Overall, I just wanted to say here that solution to our all problems lies with the majority,” MPA Shakeela Javed Arthur told the gathering while pointing out towards mainstream Muslim community. “Believe me the majority community should help minorities so that they can live their lives as they wish,” she said, and demanded from the provincial authorities to facilitate minorities in getting educational opportunities. MPA Kausar Javed also known as Bibi Waderi, and MPA Ambreen Ismail shared different projects of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for the religious minorities.
The provincial lawmakers, including Tehseen Fawad, Uzma Butt, Riffat Abbasi, Shagufta Faisal, Rushda Lodhi, Nasreen Riaz, Farzana Abbas, Fatima Begum, Shehr Bano, Afshan Hassan, Qudsia Batool, and Emmanuel Ather, shared details of the chief minister’s orders to facilitate minorities on priority, besides key role of Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan. They said the chief minister had shown practical solidarity with the minorities, and her commitment reflects the vision of an inclusive and tolerant Punjab.
Secretary of Punjab’s Human Rights & Minorities Affairs Farid Ahmad Tarar assured support in strengthening mechanisms for the protection of minority communities. He described interfaith harmony as a powerful expression of Pakistan’s true spirit. In a move to protect cultural and religious diversity, he told the lawmakers that the government allocated huge amount for the protection and renovation of churches, gurdwaras, and temples. At the end, the Working Group members pledged that rights of religious minorities would be protected through inclusive legislation and practical measures.
Speaking on the occasion, Kawish Resource Center (KRC) Executive Director Dr Asif Sardar pointed out that Christians were facing legal and practical challenges to registering their community’s institutions, including churches, due to ‘inadequate’ legal frameworks besides some sort of ‘societal’ discrimination. He suggested appropriate measures in all educational institutions to impart religious education to the minorities’ students according to their faith. “I will suggest here that syllabus should be revised thoroughly so that it should promote religious harmony instead of religious biases,” he said.
