For basic rights: Sarbdiyal presents charter of demands for minorities

Says policies on education and elections for assemblies be reviewed.

PESHAWAR: To demand an increase in their job quota and other rights, members of the national caucus of non-Muslim parliamentarians and National Lobbying Delegation (NLD) conducted a policy dialogue in Peshawar on Saturday.

“A job quota of 3% is not sufficient and should be increased to 10%,” said All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement (APHRM) Chairman Haroon Sarbdiyal at a day-long policy dialogue over marriage legislation, quota issues and resource reservation at Shelton Greens Hotel, Peshawar. “The increase in job quota to 3% made by the provincial government last year should be extended to departments other than the municipal and education.”

Sarbdiyal said Sikhs living in K-P and in Fata, in particular, have to face hurdles to get their CNICs and domiciles made.

A representative of NLD, Kashif Farooqi, said their organisation has been working for social welfare since 1954 to strengthen the role of lawmakers from religious minorities. Lawmakers are appointed on a party-basis, he added, hence those belonging to minority groups are bound to their respective parties and cannot work for their communities.

Education policy

Sarbdiyal presented a charter of demands, asking the government for their rights as per international laws. He added admission tests in government schools have a section on Islamic Studies which is usually helpful to Muslim students in obtaining 20 additional marks on the test. “Such a section should be included for non-Muslim applicants as well, with questions pertaining to studies of their respective religions, so that they too can be equally marked.”

Talking about funding, Sarbdiyal said if several government facilities pertaining to health and vocational training are running on Zakat funds, a similar facility, with alternative funding sources, should also be set up for non-Muslims. He said the rights of minorities in Pakistan should be secured as guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations Minority Declaration 1992, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Constitution.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2015.