The 2013-14 provincial budget for Punjab has brought no reprieve for minorities and those suffering human rights abuses in the province. The newly elected Punjab government only managed to allocate a meagre amount of Rs 215 million for human rights and minority affairs.
It doesn’t end here. Another major problem with the budget of this sector is the lack of thought and resolve reflected in the proposed schemes. In a province which has seen many brutal incidents against minorities and others, the need to initiate a dialogue and raise awareness on these issues has been completely ignored. Instead the only schemes proposed (and were present in the previous budget) include “Development Schemes of Minorities” and “Education Scholarships for Minority Students”. The former is allocated Rs 200 million while the latter is scheduled to get Rs 15 million.
Last term, the Rs. 220 million allocated to this area was revised down to Rs 188 million. This year we have a lower figure to begin with. National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) National Secretary Peter Jacob, while commenting on the issue said that the budget plan for this sector is not even a compensatory effort. He said that the government apparently believes that there is nothing wrong with the state of human rights and especially minority affairs, which is disappointing to say the least. There is a dire need to take steps to protect minority rights in the province, yet no tangible step in this direction has been taken.