‘Stop viewing other religions through the lens of minorities’

The speakers of the workshop addressed issues and rights of minorities


Our Correspondent August 15, 2015
The speakers of the workshop addressed issues and rights of minorities. PHOTO: AFP

HYDERABAD: The speakers of the Minority Rights Workshop, organised by the Sindh Rural Partners Organisation, highlighted issues faced by minorities and emphasised on the integration of religious minorities in the national mainstream.

"Forced conversion is still rampant in various parts of the country and urgent legislation is required to tackle it," said Mirpurkhas division commissioner Shafique Ahmed Mahesar on Saturday. Mahesar believed that the Hindu marriage bill will help address this problem after its enactment.

Speaking about the role of political and religious parties in this matter, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan coordinator Dr Ashothama Lohano deplored that many parties treat minorities as secondary citizens which promotes the culture of intolerance.

Expressing his concern over a large number of the population being deprived of basic facilities, Pakistan Academy of Letters director Prof Noor Mohammad Janjhi said, "They are not even aware of their basic human rights."

Mahesh Kumar, a journalist by profession, believes that the society needs to stop viewing people of other religions through the lens of minorities. He said that the media's role is crucial in bringing the minorities into the mainstream.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2015.

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