ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee to Protect Minorities from Forced Conversions expressed 'grave concern' on Monday over the rising number of cases involving forcing conversions of religious minorities in Sindh and decided to summon the province's Inspector General Police (IGP) Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar to brief the committee on the matter in its next meeting.
The committee met under the chairmanship of Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar. The committee stressed on 'stringent action and exemplary punishment' against the perpetrators of forced conversions of minorities.
During the meeting, the committee members were of the view that the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees equal rights to minorities as citizens of Pakistan and grants them the freedom to freely practice their religion. "Those who are forcing minorities to change their religion are violating the constitution and the law. Such people have no place in this society. They need to be dealt with an iron fist," the committee chairman said.
The committee members said several minorities; Hindus in particular, are in considerable number in Sindh province who is considered an integral part of the province's socio-economic fabric. It is the duty of the state to protect their fundamental rights, they said. The committee recommended formulation of legislation against forced conversions. The committee directed the National Commission for Minorities to submit all the evidence involving forced conversions so that relevant cases may be cross-examined. The panel asked the commission to incorporate in its report the analysis of circumstantial evidence and corroborating statements.
The parliamentary panel members unanimously stressed the need to visit areas in Sindh where forced conversions were taking place to "vet circumstances on-ground and ensure timely and effective resolution of the matter."
Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Operations, Islamabad Police, Waqar Uddin Syed, briefed the committee that there had been "just one case of forced conversion in the precincts' of Islamabad." Saima Iqbal Masih, the victim, was kidnapped from Iqbal Town in Islamabad, he said.
The committee members said they would consider in great detail in the next meeting too the cases of forced conversions in Pakistan and dynamics involving forced conversions.
The committee members including Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan, Senator Dr Sikander Mandhro, Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmad, Shunila Ruth, Member National Assembly (MNA), Jai Prakash, MNA, Lal Chand, MNA, Dr Darshan, MNA, Keshoo Mal Kheeal Das, MNA, Ramesh Lal, MNA, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, MNA, and senior government officials including Director General Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Syeda Shafaq Hashmi, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities, Chela Ram Kewlani, and others attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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