Protection of minorities

We are a couple months away from Easter, which, in Pakistan, is only celebrated by members of a minority group. At this time, it is fitting to shine the spotlight on the state of minorities in the country. The recent adoption of the Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill, 2015 by the Sindh Assembly has been lauded but it is juxtaposed with ongoing assaults on minorities across the country post-the adoption of the Bill, such as the Chakwal siege on an Ahmadi place of worship and the targeting of a Shia Wapda employee on December 10 in Abbottabad. Now, more than ever, the protection of minorities needs to be made a priority ubiquitously across the country.

The new bill in Sindh aims to introduce measures to punish perpetrators and abettors who oppress members of faiths other than their own, particularly where forced conversion is a concern. This was necessary in Sindh, and is needed in the other provinces, considering that Pakistan is rarely associated with being a country where one has free will. Lack of freedom is frequently experienced in Sindh’s rural towns by Hindu women, though not exclusively. Sindh was once a land that welcomed Hindus and it belonged to them as much as it belonged to their Muslim co-dwellers. However, long gone are the days of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, the Sufi saint revered for promoting peace between the two communities on Sindh’s soil. A dark, ominous cloud has now covered this land with unending conflict between members of various faiths and sects, even within the same belief systems. When it comes to meddling in people’s religious affairs, Pakistan is ever-ready, not believing in separation of church and state. However, when it comes to protecting citizens in practising religious freedom, the state is negligent of its responsibility. New bills can be debated and passed in various provinces, but until implementation is strict and law-enforcement agencies effective in their work, Pakistan will remain one of the worst places for minorities to exist.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2017.

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