Protecting minorities
It would be imperative for the incoming government that the situation of minorities be treated as a topmost priority.
Many political parties, including ones with Islamic leanings, hold that plurality and equal opportunities for people of all faiths is essential for Pakistan.
The political parties which are contesting the elections 2013 have given due coverage to the issue of minorities’ rights in their manifestos. The liberal parties, the PPP, the ANP and the MQM, have given categorical assurances on the protection of the minorities and also bringing about the necessary legal and institutional changes to improve the manner in which Pakistan treats its non-Muslim population. The ANP unequivocally states that it will “continue its struggle for a secular, democratic and pluralistic Pakistan with equal rights for all citizens”. Given the fact that the word “secular” is almost a taboo expression in Pakistan, the ANP’s resolve is quite commendable. Similarly, the PPP has assured the electorate that it would introduce laws to prevent forced conversions and pay compensation to the victims of religious violence. The PPP’s pledge to revive the National Commission of Minorities as a statutory body is also commendable. However, its record during the past five years in defending its own leadership struggling for minority rights (Salmaan Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti) remains far from satisfactory.
Surprisingly, the religious parties, such as the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazal) have also pledged full commitment to the enforcement of constitutional rights of the minorities in Pakistan.
The PTI — a seemingly formidable player in the upcoming elections — invokes Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision and says that the party would protect Pakistani citizens against all forms of discrimination, and recent developments have led the party to clarify its stance further.
The PML-N has assured legislation against forced marriages and intends to double development funds earmarked for minorities. Its manifesto also promises introduction of quotas for minorities in educational institutions and public-sector jobs.
Party manifestos are rhetorical documents in Pakistan, where the political parties aim to look good on paper, often actually ignoring the simple reality that radicalisation in Pakistan has assumed alarming proportions. The discriminatory practices and beliefs are widespread. Our school textbooks, mosque sermons and madrassa discourse, as a matter of routine, propagate hate speech and incitement to violence against non-Muslims. It is a matter of great concern that a country where 97 per cent of the population happens to be Muslim can be so insecure about the other tiny segment of its population and repeatedly fails to uphold their basic rights, such as life, liberty and equality before the law. Over time, the state institutions, such as the law-enforcement agencies and the courts, display a worrying mindset that is either afraid of the religious zealots or is genuinely indoctrinated by the decades-old search for an Islamic-nationalist identity.
The country’s founder, in his first speech on August 11, 1947 as the head of the state, had made it quite clear that despite the use of religious identity in seeking a separate homeland for the Muslims of India, the state would remain a neutral arbiter of citizens’ rights and entitlements. But our paranoia vis-a-vis India led to the construction of an extremist discourse that would inform the sense of Pakistani nationhood and today, Pakistan has been turned into a dangerous country for non-Muslims, and sadly, minority Muslim sects as well. Extremist discourses have a tendency to expand and engulf all belief systems, and our laxity in tolerating hate speech and widespread hate literature is turning the country into a deeply violent place.
It would be imperative for the incoming government that the situation of minorities be treated as a topmost priority. It is also vital for the civil society, media and other civic groups to monitor the status of the implementation of the tall promises made by political parties. We need to end this culture of lip service and capitulation before extremist groups in the country, which have become more radicalised, armed and are now openly advocating the agenda of global terror networks, such as al Qaeda.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2013.
Surprisingly, the religious parties, such as the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazal) have also pledged full commitment to the enforcement of constitutional rights of the minorities in Pakistan.
The PTI — a seemingly formidable player in the upcoming elections — invokes Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision and says that the party would protect Pakistani citizens against all forms of discrimination, and recent developments have led the party to clarify its stance further.
The PML-N has assured legislation against forced marriages and intends to double development funds earmarked for minorities. Its manifesto also promises introduction of quotas for minorities in educational institutions and public-sector jobs.
Party manifestos are rhetorical documents in Pakistan, where the political parties aim to look good on paper, often actually ignoring the simple reality that radicalisation in Pakistan has assumed alarming proportions. The discriminatory practices and beliefs are widespread. Our school textbooks, mosque sermons and madrassa discourse, as a matter of routine, propagate hate speech and incitement to violence against non-Muslims. It is a matter of great concern that a country where 97 per cent of the population happens to be Muslim can be so insecure about the other tiny segment of its population and repeatedly fails to uphold their basic rights, such as life, liberty and equality before the law. Over time, the state institutions, such as the law-enforcement agencies and the courts, display a worrying mindset that is either afraid of the religious zealots or is genuinely indoctrinated by the decades-old search for an Islamic-nationalist identity.
The country’s founder, in his first speech on August 11, 1947 as the head of the state, had made it quite clear that despite the use of religious identity in seeking a separate homeland for the Muslims of India, the state would remain a neutral arbiter of citizens’ rights and entitlements. But our paranoia vis-a-vis India led to the construction of an extremist discourse that would inform the sense of Pakistani nationhood and today, Pakistan has been turned into a dangerous country for non-Muslims, and sadly, minority Muslim sects as well. Extremist discourses have a tendency to expand and engulf all belief systems, and our laxity in tolerating hate speech and widespread hate literature is turning the country into a deeply violent place.
It would be imperative for the incoming government that the situation of minorities be treated as a topmost priority. It is also vital for the civil society, media and other civic groups to monitor the status of the implementation of the tall promises made by political parties. We need to end this culture of lip service and capitulation before extremist groups in the country, which have become more radicalised, armed and are now openly advocating the agenda of global terror networks, such as al Qaeda.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2013.