Human rights: ‘Discrimination will persist till non-Muslims elect own representatives’

Our rights are mentioned in the Constitution but they are consistently violated, says Church member Shaukat Minto.

PESHAWAR:

To create awareness about their political and social rights, Christian representatives organised a meeting at the Diocese of Peshawar, Church of Pakistan, in collaboration with the Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) on Wednesday.

During the seminar, a senior member of the church, Shaukat Minto, expressed his disappointment on the current scenario, saying that although their rights are mentioned in the Constitution, they are consistently violated.



Samuel John, a representative of the Christian community and teacher by profession, said they should vote sensibly because they have been “deceived by slogans before”. He added that for an informed decision, minorities should be educated about their rights and various manifestoes.

Qaiser, another member of the church, said the current education curriculum needs to change as the content written in textbooks does not promote social harmony.

The speakers said the discrimination they face is because they do not have the right to elect their own representatives.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2013.