Protection Bill: Parliament to take up minorities’ rights

Dept of national harmony set to table the bill in parliament.

ISLAMABAD: As soon as it gets clearance from the law ministry, the recently-constituted ministry of national harmony is all geared up to table the Minorities’ Protection Bill in parliament.

After his meeting on Thursday with Australian High Commissioner to Islamabad Tim George, Junior Minister for National Harmony Akram Masih Gill told The Express Tribune his ministry is working on a marriage registration Act for the Sikh, Hindu, Parsi and Bahai communities.

Once the draft is finalised, it will be sent to the law ministry before it is tabled in the parliament to pass the legislation, Gill said.

“There were certain complications in the marriage registration process of minorities in the country. We are at the final stages of this [bill’s] draft,” he added.

Minorities, especially Hindus have been demanding a proper legislation for the registration of their marriages to plug loop holes in the existing system where they have to face multiple problems in the absence of such a law in the country.

The law will hopefully be adopted by the end of this year, Gill added.

George and Gill discussed issues pertaining to national harmony and minorities when the former called on the junior minister, a press release issued by the ministry said on Thursday.

The minister said religious tolerance is the government’s top priority as interfaith harmony committees are being re-activated at district levels for the purpose. Gill also sought the help of the Australian government in order to provide clean drinking water to minority-populated areas, establish training centres to empower them economically and set up rehabilitation centres for substance abusers.

George ensured the junior minister that scholarships would be provided to students from minority communities.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th,  2011.