State Minister for Minorities’ Affairs Akram Masih Gill has demanded the formation of a judicial commission to investigate his predecessor Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder. The demand was made at a time when the Islamabad police have decided to close the case “for want of evidence”.
“I have forwarded a proposal on behalf of minority representatives in parliament to the prime minister for the constitution of a judicial commission,” Gill told The Express Tribune. Recommendations by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Minorities have also been clubbed with the proposal.
Earlier, SSP Islamabad Tahir Alam Khan informed parliamentarians that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) interrogated 519 suspected across four districts adjacent to the federal capital, but not a single lead has turned up. “We are about to close the case file… We are not optimistic about any further development,” he added. The JIT also questioned Mumtaz Qadri, self-confessed assassin of former governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer, regarding Bhatti’s killing, as well as Tehrik-e-Islami activists, but to no avail.
Recommendations for Ministry of Non-Muslim Affairs
The committee has suggested the formation of a ministry of non-Muslim affairs as an alternative to devolution of the minorities’ affairs ministry to the provinces. “If the religious affairs ministry can function at the Centre, why is there a problem with the ministry for minorities’ affairs?” Gill questioned. “If there is any legal complication to form the ministry, the federal government should address minorities’ issues,” suggested MNA Dr Nelson Azeem.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2011.
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