June 25, 2007	Monday	Jamadi-us-Sani 09, 1428

PESHAWAR, June 24: All-Pakistan Minorities Alliance’s chairman Shahbaz Bhatti asked the government on Sunday to disband the Jamia Hafsa brigade and take legal action against clerics involved in keeping women and foreigners in illegal confinement.

“We will challenge all discriminatory laws and provisions of the Constitution before superior courts, including laws barring minorities from becoming head of the state,” Mr Bhatti said.

He called on the government to check growing Talibanisation and allow democratic and moderate forces to play their role.

“Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif should be allowed to come back to country and fully participate in future elections,” he demanded.

Addressing an APMA’s provincial executive council oath-taking ceremony here, he asked the government to constitute a national commission for minorities under the chairmanship of a judge of the Supreme Court, which should put forward recommendations for giving equal rights to minorities, and those recommendations should be fully implemented.

“If the growing wave of Talibanisation is not stopped and Pakistan becomes another Afghanistan, we will hold present rulers responsible for that.”

He said that Jamia Hafsa and its affiliated bodies had been openly challenging the writ of the government by frequently kidnapping people, including women, foreigners and government servants, but the government had been encouraging these elements.

“These religious groups have been misinterpreting Islam and curtailing fundamental rights of individuals,” he added.

Mr Bhatti urged all democratic and moderate forces to join hands and unite to fight Talibanisation which had become a serious threat to the existence of Pakistan.

The APMA’s chairman called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan to resolve, on priority basis, the issue of 20 million missing voters, including 25 per cent voters of minorities.

He stated that during the last general elections the number of general seats was increased to 272 from 210, but seats reserved for minorities remained 10, which was a great injustice to them.

He asked the government to increase the reserved seats for minorities in the National Assembly and increase five seats for minorities in Senate like that of women, ulema and technocrats.

He also demanded that job quota should be reserved for minorities in federal and provincial governments. Moreover, he said competent lawyers from minorities should also be made judges of superior courts.

“Those who consider us inferior citizens should bear it in mind that our forefathers had also rendered sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan and we too have equal rights in this country. We won’t allow some religious extremists to make the entire country hostage and impose their own extremist views on the entire society,” Mr Bhatti maintained.

He said that some “black laws” had still been in force, usurping rights of minorities.

“The Hudood Ordinance still hangs on our heads like the sword of Damocles and the blasphemy law is still misused and innocent persons are put behind the bars. Our women have been forcibly taken away and forced to change their religion,” Mr Bhatti claimed.

The ceremony was also addressed by MPA Pervez Rafique, MPA Naveed Aamir Jeewa, former MPA Michael Jawed, APMA’s provincial president Prince Jawed, district councillors Om Prakash and Ram Singh, Khalid Gill, Akmal Bhatti and others.

Through a unanimously adopted resolution, all participants expressed complete trust in the leadership of Mr Bhatti and pledged to continue their fight till the achievement of their rights.

Later, Mr Bhatti administered oath to members of provincial executive councils.