No simple answer: Stop condemning, start acting, say activists

HRCP meeting brings forward solutions for problems that have been largely ignored.

KARACHI: Incidents of violation of the rights of minorities have become a serious problem. There is no simple solution, say activists and representatives of minorities. But we must remain committed and strive for the protection of these rights.

On Saturday, the fourth meeting of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's (HRCP) expert group on vulnerable religious communities not only presented solutions to the recent problems, highlighted by the participants from all faiths, but also brought to light cases that were not being highlighted in the media.

"Kiran Kumari was abducted from her house and raped in Nawabshah but the media has taken notice of the case," said Pushpa Kumari, a Hindu rights activist, holding up the only local Sindhi newspaper that reported it on November 7, 2014.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), Pak-Hindu Welfare Association, Pakistan Minority Front, Pakistan Hindu Seva, the HRCP and the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), as well as religious scholars, advocates, activists, journalists and other members of civil society.



The meeting started off with the usual condemnation and concern over the incidents. "Such incidents occur when there is no dialogue between the communities. When people don't talk to each other," said Zahid Farooq, a human rights activist. "Our generation has grown up in fear but it is high time that religious communities and political parties amend the laws and stop being under pressure," he explained.

Kashif Anthony of the NCJP had the answer. "We need to focus on education and fixing the curriculum that creates and further strengthens these conflicts and differences. That is the only sustainable solution to this problem," he said. "We preach forgiveness. Our religion preaches forgiveness but this time they have crossed all limits by burning a woman who had a child in her womb," he said.

Shaam Kumar, however, was of a completely different perspective. "We should try to bring this country to a secular foundation, otherwise we will fail," he said. This slightly irked one of the religious scholars who insisted he did not wish to talk on secular grounds and would rather discuss issues in the light of the study of all religions.

The meeting also discussed the role of the police and the judiciary in such incidents and debated whether they were part of the problem or the solution. Veerji Kolhi, a Hindu advocate said, "According to the law, anyone who marries someone under the age of 12 will be sentenced up to two years in jail, but people are not only marrying under-aged kids but also converting their religion." He went on to defend the judiciary by questioning how a judicial magistrate could be expected to give a fair verdict when there was a mob of 1,500 people outside his courtroom.

Human rights activist Amarnath Motumal concurred. "We are still following the British law. Today, they only draft legislation that has some interest of the MNAs, MPAs or the senators."

Former minority MPA Michael Javed suggested that minorities be given dual votes in the National Assembly so that they can play an active role in law-making.

Pushpa Kumari, who had previously brought forward the issue of the 13-year-old Kiran Kumari from Nawabshah exclaimed: "This is not the time to cry. It is the time to shout and speak up". She suggested that victims and witnesses be given immediate protection and all lawyers should be made to take at least two cases of minorities per year to overcome the lack of representation for minorities.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2014.