By NP newsroom
ISLAMABAD (Pakistan): The Minorities Alliance of Pakistan (MAP) held a massive demonstration outside the National Press Club in this capital city, commemorating the 11th of August as Minorities Day.
Thickly attended, the MAP demonstration ‑‑ under the banner of Jinnah’s Pakistan ‑‑ called for the historic August 11 speech by Mohammed Ali Jinnah to be made an integral part of the Constitution of Pakistan. MAP was the erstwhile All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) led by the martyred Christian leader and Federal Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti.
The demonstrators fondly remembered Shahbaz Bhatti for his services to better conditions for Pakistani minorities and said they had gathered to urge the government to take immediate and concrete steps to protect the life, property and places of worship of all Pakistani religious minorities, adding that they were greatly concerned about the abduction, child marriages and forced conversion of minor girls and “about the future of our children.”
The demonstrators said the misuse of the Blasphemy Law and lynchings over sensitive religious laws were increasing by the day, whereas an undesirable election system that put unpopular representatives on reserved seats for minorities was in fact an imposition on religious minorities, implying that the elections were an eyewash and the results a sham.
Minorities Alliance of Pakistan Chairman Akmal Bhatti said the government was sweeping under the carpet the issue of proprietary rights to Christians living in slums of the capital city.
The demonstrators called the abduction, forced conversion and marriage of minor girls from religious minorities to Muslims unacceptable, saying “this illegal practice is a vicious crime against fundamental human rights and should immediately be stopped. Incidents of the misuse of blasphemy laws, extrajudicial killing of innocent citizens, hate preach and attacks on places of worship are serious threat to religious minorities, Mr. Bhatti said, therefore Pakistan’s government should ensure the protection and freedom of all religions in Pakistan.
“We demand Pakistan’s government introduce electoral reforms and provide minorities right of dual vote, addition in representation and delimitation of constituency including the fair allocation of reserved seats in addition to the seats reserved for minority women to play their part in national politics. Minorities Alliance Pakistan calls on the federal government to urgently provide proprietary rights and basic needs of life such as clean water, sanitation and electricity to minorities living in slums,” Akmal Bhatti said.
