SUKKUR: The Sindh Human Rights Commission’s chairperson, Iqbal Ahmed Detho, has called for creating awareness among minorities about the laws protecting their rights and urged them to foster interfaith dialogue as a means to build mutual respect and dignity.

He outlined practical recommendations for strengthening implementation of these laws and advocated closer collaboration between government departments, civil society, rights organisations and law enforcement agencies to transform policy protections into actionable safeguards on the ground.

Mr Detho was speaking at two-day training workshop on “Laws and policies for religious minorities in Sindh: empowering government officials to uphold minority rights” organised by Bhittai Social Watch and Advocacy in collaboration with SHRC and United States Institute of Peace.

According to a handout issued here on Monday, the workshop held from Oct 31 to Nov 1, was aimed at strengthening capacity of Sindh government officials to safeguard minority rights. It provided an in-depth overview of laws and policies that protected religious minorities in Pakistan.

Mr Detho focused on the Sindh Hindu Marriage Act, 2016, (Amended 2018) and other critical legal protections, examining practical challenges the minorities faced in accessing their rights.

He emphasised the importance of marriage registration as a pathway to marital and divorce rights, particularly for Sindh’s minority women.

He underscored that Pakistan’s Constitution enshrined religious rights under Articles 20 and 21, as upheld by the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment of 2014. As a signatory to international human rights frameworks, Pakistan was also committed to upholding these protections, he said.

He facilitated dialogue on the roles of these laws and constitutional safeguards for minority communities against forced conversions, blasphemy allegations, hate speech, and attacks on places of worship.

Sarfaraz Ahmed of SHRC highlighted the commission’s mandate to protect human rights across Sindh and its collaborative work with civil society organisations.

He underscored the critical importance of a multi-stakeholder approach in effectively protecting minorities’ rights.

Zulfiqar Mirani, an expert on minorities’ rights, led a dedicated session on anti-discrimination laws and emphasised the importance of raising awareness among minorities regarding their legal rights.

He highlighted the role of District Peace Committees in fostering social harmony and dialogue and underscored their importance in culturally diverse districts.

In a session on interfaith harmony, Mr Detho encouraged participants to promote legal awareness among minorities’ communities and suggested fostering the interfaith dialogue as a means to build mutual respect and dignity.

The event brought together representatives from various departments, including Human Rights, Local Government, Social Welfare, Women Development, Minority Affairs, and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and police officials.

Through interactive sessions, participants explored key legal protections, human rights mechanisms, and enforcement strategies essential for promoting equitable treatment of minorities’ communities.

The participants were engaged in group work to identify district-specific challenges and proposed localized resolutions for improving minority rights protections.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2024