Independent National Commission For Religious Minorities Demanded

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Dec, 2019 ) :The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) held a meeting of National Interfaith Working Group which was attended by different religious communities as part of its ongoing work on freedom of religion.

The participants demanded that an effective, independent national commission for religious minorities be set up in the spirit of the 2014 Supreme Court (Justice Jillani) judgment.

They also agreed that the official census data on minorities should be released as soon as possible.

Former chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Dr Khalid Masood said it was critical to respect religious diversity and view religious communities as they viewed themselves.

Former Senator Afrasiab Khattak said only a democratic solution would help resolve the increasing pressure on vulnerable groups such as religious minorities.

Discussing the bottlenecks in the implementation of the Jillani judgement, former Senator Farhatullah Babar said under Article 146 of the Constitution, the government could legislate on religious minorities even if it was a devolved subject.

Veteran journalist Ghazi Salahuddin concluded the meeting, saying that an independent media was critical to protecting the rights of religious minorities.