The government’s indifference towards rights of minorities can be gauged from its failure to introduce legislation for Hindu, Sikh and Bahai marriages despite the passage of more than three years, compelling Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid minorities lawmaker Kishan Chand Parwani to table a private member’s bill called the Hindu Marriage Act, 2011 in the National Assembly last week which should have been the government’s duty.
The government’s oblivion towards the welfare of minorities is evident from the fact that the Finance Ministry has not released the Minorities Welfare Fund to the Ministry of National Harmony, created after the devolution of the Ministry of Minorities Affairs. A ministry source told Pakistan Today the finance division had released only Rs 50 million to the ministry against its demand of Rs 230 million.
Minorities marriage acts: The PPP-led coalition government failed to get the long-awaited marriage acts for different faiths passed or make arrangements through the (now devolved) Ministry of Minorities Affairs or the Ministry of National Harmony to safeguard minorities’ rights and ensure the progress of ‘neglected strata’ of society.
The government through the recently devolved Ministry of Minorities Affairs had announced it will introduce the Minorities Protection Bill to protect the personal laws of minorities, including legislation on Hindu, Sikh and Bahai’s marriage acts. Government inaction forced PML-Q MNA Kishan Chand Parwani to initiate the legislation process on his own.
The bill that was introduced in the NA on October 11, 2011 says that the object of the bill is to provide a special form of marriage and divorce among Hindus. “The provision of the said Act has also been applied to the irretrievable break down of marriages in Hindus. This Act is applicable to every person who is Hindu by religion in any of its form or to any person who is Buddhist, Jain or Sikh by religion or to any person who is not a Muslim, Christian, Parsi or Jew by religion,” the draft bill says.
Non-release of funds: Separately, the Ministry of National Harmony had planned to materialise the initiatives of the former Ministry of Minorities Affairs such as launching awareness and sensitization programmes on the rights of minorities through workshops, seminars and other activities but the scarcity of funds means it has aborted its plans. “We wanted to establish Skill Development Centers for minorities to bring them at par with other communities but the plan too has hit snags due to lack of finance,” said a Ministry of National Harmony official.
Sharing other failures of the ministry, due to federal government indifference, the official said: “To promote national unity and harmony in the society, the ministry had planned to constitute Interfaith Harmony Committees at the district levels but the scheme also hit snags.”
The devolved Ministry of Minorities Affairs had publicized it would establish a ‘Hotline’ in the ministry, through which staff will ensure the timely redressal of minorities’ grievances round the clock, but its successor, the Ministry of National Harmony has been unable to setup the hotline due to the funds shortage.
Work on marriage act ‘complete’: Minister of State for National Harmony Akram Masih Gill told Pakistan Today that his ministry had completed work on Hindu Marriage Act. “The delay in tabling the piece of legislation regarding Hindu, Bahai, Sikh, Buddhist etc marriages occurred due to devolution of Ministry of Minorities Affairs. We will first present the draft bills in the Council of Common Interest (CCI). Subject to provinces allowing the federation to legislate on the subject, the Ministry of National Harmony will introduce draft bills in the parliament after due approval of the cabinet,” he said.
He said different acts would govern the marriage law for different faiths. “Kishan Chand Parwani introduced the bill in haste for point-scoring without developing consensus on the draft legislation,” Akram Gill said, adding that Parwani’s haste had created new trouble for the ministry. “Which standing committee shall we refer his draft bill to after the NA Standing Committee on Minorities Affairs was disbanded on the devolution of the Ministry of Minorities Affairs,” he added.
Asked to comment on the failure of the government and his ministry to launch other welfare projects, Gill said the ministry had only been allocated Rs 50 million in the head of operational expenses. “The Minorities Welfare Fund (MWF) has not been released by the government despite numerous reminders. We had demanded an allocation of around Rs 230 million including a MWF budget but the finance division has released only Rs 50 million,” he said.