March, 29 2005	Tuesday	18 Safar 1426

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PESHAWAR, March 28: Islam lays more stress on protecting fundamental human rights than any other religion, NWFP minister for religious affairs Maulana Amanullah Haqqani said on Monday. He was addressing the concluding session of a three-day workshop jointly organized by the Society for Human Rights and Prisoners Aid and Action Aid here. Such workshops will be held in other provinces also, to be followed by a national convention as part of effort to create a pool of lawyers willing to provide legal help to the marginalized class of society.

The minister said that since the religion, law, society and morality all stood for the protection of basic human rights, it was “incumbent upon all of us” to ensure that the powerful did not violate the rights of the weak.

Mr Haqqani said the situation concerning human rights in the world was getting from bad to worse. The religious scholars and Muslims were required to educate people about their rights and work towards establishing a universal society based on justice.

Chairman of Society for Human Rights and Prisoners Aids (Sharp) Syed Liaqat Banori dwelt at length on the endeavours being made for the protection of the rights of the people.

He said the NGO’s one-year plan was aimed at advocacy and capacity-building with lawyers, media-people, police, officials of prison, judiciary, law enforcing agencies and general public so that they could be sensitized about people’s rights.

Naib Nazim of Peshawar district Dr Iqbal Khalil said that it was a blessing to extend help to those in desperate need. Islam didn’t permit trampling of human rights of people, irrespective of their religion, creed, gender and colour.