Minority seat in NA proposed per province

Senate panel seeks population data from provinces

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice discussed on Wednesday a proposal to allocate National Assembly seats for minorities from each province.

The bill, introduced by Senators Manzoor Ahmed and Dinesh Kumar, calls for one reserved seat for minorities in the National Assembly from every province. The session was chaired by Senator Farooq H. Naek.

Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro supported the proposal, saying, "If minorities exist in every province, it is only fair that one seat is allocated to them in the National Assembly".

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar shared that Pakistan's minority population includes 1.3 million Christians and 1.75 million Hindus, among others.

"There were previously 10 reserved seats. Four for Hindus, four for Christians, one for Parsis, and one for other minorities," Ghumro added.

The committee sought province-wise minority population data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The committee also instructed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to assist in the next meeting.

The session also addressed the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure (Amendment) Act 2024, which the Minister for Law withdrew after being deemed ineffective. "You have already implemented the amendment

to the Practice and Procedure Act," Senator Azam

Nazeer Tarar remarked to Chairman Naek.

Later, a public petition to open a federal ombudsman's regional office in Sahiwal was resolved in the session. The federal ombudsman and additional secretary law informed the committee of limited staff availability and insufficient complaints from the region to warrant a new office.

Meanwhile, several legislative items were deferred, including amendments to Articles 140-A and 160, amendments to Articles 1, 51, 59, 106, 154, 175-A, 198, and 218, the Article 62 Amendment Bill and the Family Courts Amendment Bill 2024.

The committee directed the Ministry of Law and Justice to finalize the draft of the National Commission for Minorities Bill 2024 within three days, incorporating recommendations put forth by the subcommittee.

The committee also deliberated on the Interfaith Harmony Policy and the Policy for Promoting Religious Tolerance.

Rana Sana Ullah highlighted the pivotal role of mosques in Islamic society, suggesting that the interfaith harmony policy should include proposals to utilize mosques as community centers.

The committee instructed the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony to present both the interfaith harmony and religious tolerance policies to the federal cabinet for final approval after incorporating the subcommittee's recommendations.

The committee reiterated the government's commitment to fostering religious harmony and safeguarding minority rights through legislative and policy measures.