LAHORE: The government must improve laws and policies to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms for all and enhance the citizens’ access to justice and effective remedies without any distinction.

This was emphasised by the participants in a protest demonstration staged by the Voice for Justice (VFJ) to mark the National Minorities Day on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashiknaz Khokhar said Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in his address to the Constituent Assembly on Aug 11, 1947, had declared the protection of minorities’ rights a distinct duty of the state and made a pledge to promote religious freedom and tolerance, equality and non-discrimination for all in Pakistan. He demanded the government must take effective measures to address the dynamics and the impact of discrimination, exclusion, and inequalities in order to reduce the exposure of minorities to persecution, insecurity and violence.

Joseph Jansen, the chairperson at the Voice for Justice, said it was unfortunate that the religious minorities had been facing historical injustice or discrimination committed against them despite having made a significant contribution to the creation and establishment of Pakistan.

“The government should encourage effective participation and the constructive integration of minorities in all areas of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural life of society,” he added.

Nadia Stephen said the right to religious freedom prohibited the use of coercion to make someone change their religion.

Therefore, the government must introduce a comprehensive bill criminalising forced faith conversions to bring the perpetrators to justice for their crimes involving child marriage, forced conversion and sexual violence.

Abid Chand said the government must create favourable conditions to ensure that the minorities were able to express their concerns and engage in the national dialogue on policy matters and identify solutions to address human rights issues. He demanded the constitution of a statutory National Commission for Minorities’ Rights with a mandate to monitor the implementation of minority rights, address violations and contribute advice for policy reforms in order to strengthen protection for minority rights.

Emmanuel Sardar said although the government had introduced an affirmative measure for the minorities’ empowerment by allocating a 5pc reserved quota in the public sector jobs; however, they were less likely to benefit from this provision due to a lack of trust in the recruitment process and absence of a redress mechanism. He demanded that a regulatory body must be established with a mandate to monitor and address complaints in order to enforce the job quota reserved for religious minorities.

Imran Javed said that advancing religious freedom was a human rights obligation of the states; therefore, the government needed to fulfill its responsibility towards protecting the rights and take measures to ensure freedom and justice for marginalised groups, particularly the minorities.

Saleem Shoukat said the minorities should not be treated differently and they must not face discrimination, hatred or violence solely on the basis of their particular faith. The government must take legal and administrative measures to ensure effective non-discrimination and de facto equality for all, he said and added that it should take serious actions against the actors involved in committing persecution to better respond to violence targeted against the minorities.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2022