Historic initiative: Punjab Assembly forms panel on minority affairs

Standing committee will recommend steps to address grievances of communities.

In a first, the Punjab Assembly has constituted a high-level committee on human rights and minorities affairs to think over and recommend improvements in laws.

The Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minorities Affairs will be headed by Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora while Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Minister Khalil Tahir Sandhu will be the ex-officio member. Lawmakers Shehzad Munshi, Kanji Ram, Zulfiqar Ghouri and Shunila Ruth will be the official members.

A notification for the formation of the committee has been issued on the orders of Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan.

No such committee has ever existed in the Provincial Assembly to ponder over the affairs relating to minorities including legislation or addressing the grievances of minority communities and their welfare.

Punjab Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rana Sanaullah in consultation with the speaker and opposition leader had suggested adding minority affairs in the already-existing standing committee for human rights to give the affairs of non-Muslims a priority with constitutional status for consideration and onwards legislation.

Minister Khalil has declared the historic initiative of the Punjab Assembly ‘minorities-friendly’ and expressed his gratitude on behalf of all minority communities to the leaders for taking keen interest in the problems of minorities.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2017.