ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The participants and speakers have called upon the federal and provincial governments to undertake stringent and urgent measures during a Conference ‘Protection of Minorities’ Rights’ held in Islamabad on Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court’s Judgment of 19th June 2014 without implementation.
This landmark judgment encompassing multiple issues including; security of places of worship; policy/strategy for religious and social tolerance and National Commission for Minorities; ensuring implementation of job quota and reforming curricula had directed the Federal and Provincial governments to ensure fulfilment of minority rights.
The Conference was jointly organized by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), and the Cecil and Iris Chaudhry Foundation (CICF).
It was attended by academics, jurists, rights activists, and journalists who called for timely and effective implementation of the Supreme Court’s judgment.
During the Conference, a report prepared by the CSJ, A Long Wait for Justice, was launched which analyses compliance with the judgment. Stakeholders endorsed the findings & recommendations included in the study, advocating for, among other things, the establishment of a National Commission for Minorities Rights.
Prominent rights activists & experts including; Justice (retd) Ali Nawaz Chowhan, Saroop Ijaz (Advocate), Dr. Adnan Rafiq, Qamar Suleman, Advocate M. Prakash Mahtani, Dr. Kalyan Singh Kalyan, Imran Kabeer, and A.H Nayyar participated as Keynote Speakers.
Speaking on the occasion, I.A. Rehman expressed his concern over the lack of compliance on the court orders, and stated that this verdict has suffered neglect in implementation, as bench remained dissolved for months every time the Chief Justice got retired. He added that the judgment lays down the foundation for the protection and promotion of religious freedom in general, and protection of minorities’ rights in particular.
The Centre for Social Justice’s Executive Director Peter Jacob noted that the compliance assessment carried out by CSJ finds that by and large the compliance is weak and sporadic at best with overall compliance levels marked at no more than 24%. The lack of will amongst decision-makers and implementers are the major challenges in public policy and attitudes blocking the progress towards realization of rights of marginalized groups, and compliance of the court orders.
The former Senator Farhatullah Babar reiterated upon the need to create an intellectual infrastructure to help transform the individual and societal mindset towards minority citizens and communities.
The Archbishop Joseph Arshad stated that the government needs to fulfill the pledge made by Muhammad Ali Jinnah to ensure equality of rights for all citizens of Pakistan by implementing Court orders.
Justice (retd) Nasira Iqbal stated that if this basic benchmark of constitutional rights of minorities envisioned under the founding ideology of Pakistan remain unimplemented, then the claims of successive governments concerning protection of minority rights seem meaningless.
The HRCP’s Secretary General Haris Khalique noted that social reform movements are needed to inculcate values of tolerance and pluralism among all faith-based communities. The social and political movements should go hand in hand for collective attainment of goals as fostering a culture of democracy and human rights in Pakistan.
Dr. A.H. Nayyar noted that there has been no compliance in relation to the Supreme Court’s directive concerning education reforms calling for removal of all hate material taught in schools and colleges in order to make education a means of promoting peace and respecting and accepting diversity.
