Govt urged to take action to tackle religious intolerance, human rights

Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) on Tuesday urged the government to make concert efforts to curb religious intolerance and introduce substantial measures to uphold equality of rights and citizenship. The centre organized a conference on “Strengthening Democracy: Delivering on Pledges regarding human rights” wherein human rights defenders and representatives from political parties were present. Peter Jacob, Dr Khadim Hussain of Awami National Party, Bishop Earnest Jacob, Aasiya Jehangir the Former minister of social welfare, former MPA Wazir Zada, Dr Sawera Parkash of Pakistan Peoples Party, Shakeel Waheed Ullah of Qaumi Wattan Party, Journalists Mehmood Jan Babar and Muhammad Faheem, Dr Nadeem of PTI, Suneel Malik, Augustine Jacob and Nasir William were among the speakers. Speaking on the occasion, Peter Jacob, the executive director of the Centre for Social Justice observed that discrimination rooted in religion fuels hatred and violence against minority groups, with perpetrators often misinterpreting the religion to justify hate crimes. He underscored that the establishment of an inquiry commission was imperative to identify factors and hold those actors accountable for inciting violence and misusing blasphemy laws. A representative of the Awami National Party, Khadim Hussain highlighted systemic barriers hindering the equality of human rights for citizens including disparities in citizenship status, unequal distribution of resource allocation, poor governance, terrorism, and religious intolerance. He highlighted that the entrenched discrimination within governance structures perpetuates divisive attitudes based on religious, ethnic, racial, linguistic, and gender identities. Bishop Earnest Jacob underscored that the political parties ought to prioritize fulfilling their pledges to the electorate made in the election manifesto, and take concrete actions to address human rights issues religious minorities face. A representative of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Dr Sawera Parkash encouraged citizens to collectively raise their voices against human rights violation targeting minorities. She emphasized that legislators were responsible for effectively representing the concerns of citizens within legislative assemblies and party platforms to address human rights issues. A former MPA, and representative of PTI, Wazir Zada voiced support for substantial demands including; a law to end child marriage and forced faith conversions, the constitution of a statutory National Commission for minorities’ Rights, and the adoption of rules facilitating jail remission for minority prisoners for studying their religion, which would improve implementation of human rights of minorities. A representative of the Qaumi Wattan Party, Shakeel Waheed Ullah reiterated that religious minorities are equal in rights and dignity, and stressed the need for sincere efforts to ensure fair treatment and opportunities for all citizens without discrimination. Muhammad Faheem stressed the need for minorities to assert their political influence to prevent continued neglect in decision-making processes. He urged political parties to create opportunities for better inclusion and mainstreaming of minorities, which would contribute to advancing democracy and human rights in the country. Senior Journalist, Mehmood Jan Babar said that citizens were divided based on diverse identities and the groups who wield religion for political gains, exploit communities. Therefore, he said citizens needed to challenge narratives promoting intolerance, which was crucial to fortify the social fabric. Suneel Malik emphasized the collective responsibility to uphold principles of equality, justice, and inclusion for all citizens. He said that the democratic process encourages active citizenship to improve inclusive governance, therefore, the concerned stakeholders must remind political parties of their performance against electoral pledges to make them accountable and persuade political representatives to introduce progressive policy reforms to address outstanding human rights issues. Nasir William called upon political parties in power in the federal capital and provinces to fulfill their pledges particularly the implementing Jillani’s judgment regarding minorities’ rights which has the potential to contribute to fostering social cohesion, inclusion, and fair representation.