KARACHI, Sept 25: The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), condemning the acts of terrorism committed against the minorities during the past one year, has demanded that a high-level judicial inquiry be instituted and those responsible be brought to book immediately and given exemplary punishments.

APMA leaders, speaking at a press conference at the Press Club here on Thursday, pointed out that over 50 people had been killed and over 100 injured owing to various acts of terrorism in the past one year.

They said that Thursday was the first anniversary of the terrorist act committed on Sept 25, 2002, against a non-governmental organization, Idara Amn-o-Insaf, in which seven NGO workers were shot dead. They said that the culprits had not been arrested so far.

They observed that various acts of terrorism had been committed against the minorities all over the country — Shanti Nagar, Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalpur, Murree, Texila, Islamabad, Daska, Sialkot, Bannu, Okara, Renala Khurd etc, and numerous women belonging to the minorities had been kidnapped and gang-raped, but due to the indifferent attitude of the law enforcement agencies, the culprits had not yet been arrested. They also demanded that adequate compensation be paid to the heirs of the victims.

They cited some incidents which occurred following the US attack on Iraq; a nine-year old was kidnapped and gang-raped in Lahore, a 10-year-old was kidnapped and gang-raped in Wah Cantt, acid was thrown on a girl in Faisalabad, a few girls returning home from work at a factory in Shekupura were kidnapped and gang-raped, a girl in Hyderabad, a teacher in Chowk Munda and a girl in Karachi were kidnapped and gang-raped. But not a single culprit had been brought to book, they added.

They demanded abolition of the laws discriminatory to the marginalized sections of the society, including minorities. They also demanded that the Shariat Bill approved by the NWFP Assembly be reviewed.

They said that Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, in his speech to the Constituent Assembly, had promised that all citizens would be equal in Pakistan. They demanded that the country be run according to the ideals of the Father of the Nation.

APMA chief Shahbaz Bhatti; Chaudhry Naveed and Pervez Rafiq (Punjab MPAs); Michael Javed, Saleem Khursheed Khokhar, and Khalid M. Gill spoke at the press conference.