ISLAMABAD: The newly-constituted Human Rights Cell of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Tuesday expressed its concerns over the spate of laws recently rushed through the parliament, particularly the bill to further amend the sensitive blasphemy law.

The HR Cell in its maiden meeting presided over by former senator and party’s secretary general Farhatullah Babar also decided to formulate and submit proposals to the party this week on various human rights issues for incorporation in the party’s manifesto for the upcoming general elections in the country.

According to a press release issued by the PPP Media Office, the members of the committee while expressing their concerns over the passage of the bill to amend the blasphemy laws noted that first the bill was rushed through the National Assembly without debate and without quorum and then the Senate also passed in the same fashion and without proper debate. Some parliamentarians, it said, later complained that they had not even seen the bill. There were no words in the press release about the role of the party parliamentarians in both the houses who voted in support of the controversial law.

The meeting noted that blasphemy in any form of any religion could not be condoned and must be punished. It was also noted that the intentions behind the bill were questionable which, it feared, would only promote sectarianism and intolerance in the country.

The meeting warned that the legislation would stoke sectarianism and communalism instead of the purported objective of countering terrorism, therefore, the decision should be revisited.

The membership of the HR Cell was notified by the party last week. The Cell was envisaged to have members from across the board of all marginalised sections, including women, minorities and the disabled.

Those attended the maiden meeting of the HR Cell included general secretary Samana Malaika Raza, vice-president Zulqarnain Asghar, deputy general secretary Shakeel Abbasi, information secretary Tariq Ghouri and finance secretary Samina Salam.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2023