PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar on Friday urged the government to ensure protection of minorities’ rights as guaranteed in the country’s Constitution so as to remove the sense of deprivation among them.

The advocacy seminar titled ‘religious freedom and rights of minorities’ was organised by South Asia Partnership Pakistan ( SAP-PK) in a Hindu Temple at Kala Bari in Peshawar cantonment.

People from different religions, including Muslims, Sikh, Hindus and Christians, gathered on the occasion to convey a message of brotherhood to the world that they were equal Pakistani citizens and had the same rights irrespective of religion, creed and area.

Seminar highlights problems being faced by minorities

The seminar was held on the occasion of Hindus’ Rakhi Bandhan ritual in which women tie a piece of cloth around the wrest of men to make them as brothers forever. Muslim women from different parties also took part in the ritual.

Prominent among the speakers included All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement chairman Haroon Sarb Diyal, Sardar Charan Jeet Singh of Sikh community, Shehzad Murad of Diocese Church of Peshawar and SAP-PK representative Shahida Shah, who shared their views about minorities’ issues. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf women wing district president Naila Naz and Nigah Rauf of Pakistan Peoples Party, both from Nowshera district, also spoke on the occasion.

The speakers said that the Constitution had guaranteed protection of the rights of all citizens alike, but the laws were yet to be implemented because of the lack of interest on part of the relevant lawmakers representing the non-Muslim communities. They demanded a separate electoral process wherein minorities could choose their own candidates through ballot system across the country.

They demanded of the government to ensure protection and freedom of expression and religions of minorities residing in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and settled areas.

The speakers also urged the federal and provincial governments to make amendments to laws about inheritance and marriage with consultation of representatives of the minorities. They asked for allowing possession right of property of non-Muslims in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Mr Haroon alleged that Hindus’ land properties, including historical religious places, had either been grabbed by land mafia or converted into archaeological sites, which he added, was tantamount to snatching the places from the community without any reason. Charan Jeet Singh said that Sikhs had a small population which usually remained busy in different kinds of business activities, but even then they were not secure.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2014