HYDERABAD: The services rendered by slain federal minister for minority affairs Shahbaz Bhatti for the welfare of non-Muslims in the country were eulogised at a programme held here on Saturday.

The programme, held at the local press club, was organised to mark the National Minorities Day (observed on Aug 11 every year) during which speakers also highlighted the importance of Independence Day and expressed their strong opposition to the recent Indian action of stripping the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir of its special status.

The speakers, including Hindus and Christians, paid homage to Shahbaz Bhatti for effectively protecting rights of minorities in the country while serving as the federal minister. The minister was shot dead in Islamabad on March 2, 2011 amid a controversy over blasphemy law. An unknown group calling itself ‘Taliban Al-Qaeda Punjab’ had claimed the responsibility for the assassination through pamphlets found at the crime scene.

Mr Bhatti, a Christian, was a critic of the law though part of the federal cabinet.

The speakers — M. Prakash, Imtiaz Boota, Sooba Bhatti, Satras Masih, Zulfiqar Halepoto and others — were of the consensus view that government should frame rules and by-laws to ensure effective implementation of the laws meant for protecting minorities’ fundamental and constitutional rights. They called for amending the proposed Hindu marriage law and enactment of a Christian marriage law. They said all such laws should be enacted both at the national and provincial levels.

The speakers said all citizens should have equal rights as guaranteed in the Constitution. They said no individual or community should be discriminated against on the basis of faith. They appealed for effective measures to check alleged abduction and conversion of Hindu girls.

The speakers also expressed their disapproval of Indian move towards annexation of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir and serious concern over grievances of Kashmiri people in the occupied valley. They urged the international community and human rights organisations to play their active role in resolving the Kashmir issue. They noted that Kashmiris in the held valley were being mowed down due to Indian forces’ brutality.

Separately, Pakistan Peoples Party-Shaheed Bhutto (PPP-SB) and various civil society organisations, including the Hyderabad Shehri, Human-friend and National Minorities Rights Network, on Saturday took out rallies to condemn Indian aggression and atrocities against Kashmiri people in the held valley.

They paid tribute to all those who rendered great sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan and highlighted the significance of Independence Day. They said minorities in the country always celebrated the day to eulogise the unforgettable sacrifices rendered by Muslims of the subcontinent and the role played by leaders of the freedom movement for the creation of this country.

Speaking to the participants outside the local press club, leaders of the organisations noted with serious concern that the Indian government and its forces had crossed all limits in the inhuman treatment being meted out to the people of occupied Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.

Raising slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the participants described him as ‘religious extremist’ and ‘terrorist’ for patronising his party’s radical wing comprising Hindu fanatics.

They urged the international community and human rights organisations to raise their voice against India and come to the rescue of the Muslim community being brutalised in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

KARACHI: MNA Dr Mahesh Malani, Sindh Minister for Minorities’ Affairs Hari Ram Kishori Lal, MPA Rana Hameer Singh and special assistants to the chief minister Dr Khatumal Jeevan and Veerji Kolhi in a joint statement issued here on Saturday said they stood by the people of occupied Kashmir in their legitimate struggle for their rights.

They said the Hindu community rejected the Modi government’s action of stripping Kashmir of its special status and called it “blatant terrorism”.

They said India had pushed South Asia into a dangerous situation, adding that the Hindu community was ready to offer any sacrifice for the protection of Pakistan, their beloved motherland.

They said Kashmir was a disputed territory and Indian government had no authority to alter its status. They said the Modi government had buried India’s ideology of secularism. They termed annexation of Kashmir a “clear violation of international laws”. They said the Hindu community would organise rallies across the province to express solidarity with Kashmiris on Aug 14 and arrange special prayers for the people of the held valley.

They said flags of Pakistan and Kashmir would be hoisted atop temples in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2019