ISLAMABAD: The federal government has been asked to enact immediate laws against the rising issue of forced conversions in the country.
Human Friends Organisation, a non-profit organisation, on Tuesday, conducted a consultation on the issue of protection of religious freedom and minority and human rights at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentarian Services. The purpose of this table talk was to develop consensus for the possible strategies against the issue.
The participants requested the government to undertake the responsibility for comprehensive legislation against the issue. They asked the federal government in particular and other provinces, in general, to establish an autonomous Minority Rights Commission in order to properly address the issues of the country’s minority.
The participants also requested the government to constitute an independent body to monitor the implementation of 5 per cent job quota for the minorities. They also urged the government to properly deal with the issue of rising hate speech against religious minorities and to remove any topic from the school curriculum which promotes hate speech. They urged the parliamentarians to highlight the issues of the minorities in the lower house.
Netherlands’ Ambassador Ardi Stoios Bracken, MNAs Naveed Aamir Jeeva, Jamshed Thomas, Kheldas Kohistani, HFO President Sajid Christopher and members of the civil society, including Tahira Abdullah, participated in the event.