10 January 2005	Monday	28 Ziqa'ad 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 9: The government is expected to direct the law ministry shortly to scrap declaration of sect in all recruitment and other application forms issued by the state and semi-government institutions as well as the private sector in bid to dissuade sectarianism, well-placed sources told Dawn on Sunday.

It is learnt that president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, Chaudhry Shujaat Husain, during a recent meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf, raised the issue with him and proposed that the government should move for deletion of the sect column contained in various government forms.

Sources close to the government told Dawn that President Musharraf was receptive to the idea and directed his aides to touch base with the relevant ministries in this regard. It is believed that recruitment and other identification forms issued by several government institutions, civilian as well as military, include a sect column.

Observers believe that such a move would help in containing the divisive culture of sectarianism in the country. They say there is no reason to carry on supporting sect-based identification of citizens.

In any event, most political analysts maintain that for the state of Pakistan to serve its citizens as per the constitution, the sectarian and religious identity of the citizens is not needed.

"Pakistan, which has been under the burden of sectarian killings over the last 10 years or so, needs to start afresh, leaving the sectarian divide behind," asserts one Islamabad-based commentator.