Islamabad [Pakistan]3rd March (ANI): A considerable number of religious minorities reportedly face difficulties in obtaining computerized national identity cards (CNICs), according to a study on the legal barriers faced by religious minorities living in Pakistan, Or not at all.
According to international news reports, many fundamental rights of Pakistani citizens are associated with having a CNIC.
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The findings of the study were discussed at an access to justice conference organized by the Legal Aid Society in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission. According to international news reports, the study calls for updating outdated laws, closing legal loopholes, establishing accountability to facilitate and improve investigations, and creating statutory commissions to protect, promote, and preserve RMC’s constitutional rights.
In February, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed concern about the continued marginalization of religious minorities in the country, Dawn reported. In its report titled Contrary to Faith: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2021-22, the HRCP observed considerable alarming developments in the 2021/22 period that ran counter to the State’s commitment to freedom of religion or belief.
The incidence of forced conversions in Sindh has been a concern, the report said. Reports of desecration of places of worship by religious minorities continued. However, when such incidents involved sites associated with the Ahmadiyya community, there was no response from the state, Dawn reported.
In the spirit of the 2014 Supreme Court decision against Justice Tassaduq Jillani, the HRCP called for the establishment of a representative and autonomous Statutory National Commission for Minorities. The HRCP also said that, based on news reports, urgent legislation is needed to criminalize forced conversions.
In addition, HRCP requires the state to work together to combat sectarian violence by implementing a National Action Plan (NAP) and developing a national narrative that explicitly steers clear of religious extremism and majoritarianism.
HRCP calls for a reassessment of quotas for religious minorities in education, employment and accountability mechanisms to ensure they are enforced as stipulated in the Dawn report. According to HRCP, unless these measures do not come into effect immediately, Pakistan will continue to foster an atmosphere of impunity for perpetrators of faith-based discrimination and violence. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)