Seminar on rights of minorities in South Asia from July 3

Experts will share experiences with a view to formulating practicable recommendations for their respective governments


News Desk June 30, 2012



A two-day regional conference on “Rights of Religious Minorities in South Asia: Learning from Mutual Experiences” is going to be held on July 3-4 to discuss how can governments and civil society ensure freedom of religion and tolerance and guarantee equal rights to religious minorities in the current ambience of growing radicalization, extremism and terrorism that prevails in the countries of the region.


Experts, scholars and human rights activists from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will share experiences and problems at the conference with a view to formulating practicable recommendations for their respective governments.

The conference is being organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute and the Hanns Seidel Foundation, at the Islamabad Hotel.

Only invitees will be admitted on production of invitation cards.

Indian scholars, Professor Dr Ram Puniyami and Dr Tanveer Fazal will speak on “Religion and quota politics in India” and “Indian Muslims in a multi-religious society” respectively; Sri Lankan diplomat Mr
Nihal Rodrigo, will present his paper on “Sri Lankan Civil War” and Dr KNO Dharmadasa on “Politicising Buddhism”; Pakistan’s J Salik and Pandit Channa Lal will speak on “Freedom and equality in a Muslim state” and “Hindu minority rights in Pakistan” respectively.

Raza Rumi will speak on the “Rise of sectarianism in Pakistan”; Bangladeshi scholars Professor Dr Imtiaz Ahmad and Saleem Samad will present their papers on “Justice for religious minorities in Bangladesh” and “Changing dynamics of Bangladesh’s religious minorities” respectively.

Professor Dr Samina Amin Qadir, Vice-Chancellor Fatima Jinnah University and I. A. Rahman, senior journalist and human rights activist, will be the chief guests on the opening and closing days of the conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2012.

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