LAHORE: The Pakistan Masiha Millat Party (PMMP) held a press conference on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, on Tuesday, addressing the insecurity among religious minorities in Pakistan and the violation of their fundamental rights.
The included prominent human rights advocates including PMMP Chairman Aslam Pervaiz Sahotra, President William Javed, Patron of the Christian Lawyers Association Dr. Sharjeel Zafar, PMMP Khanewal President Younas Masih, Pastor Khaliq Mukhtar and Abdul Rauf.
Aslam Sahotra underlined that not only are religious minorities in Pakistan deprived of their basic rights, but their homes and churches are vulnerable to mob violence as well, which the police is unable and unwilling to prevent. Sahotra said their jobs and businesses are insecure, their daughters and sisters are unprotected and the persecution is so prevalent that even the graves of their deceased are vandalized. Alarming incidents are taking place, he said, where 14-year old Christian and Hindu girls are forcibly converted to another religion and subsequently coerced to marry old Muslim men.
In rural areas, Sahotra’s Pakistan Masiha Millat Party has found and reported Christians being subjected to violence, false cases being lodged against them with police collusion, and their homes being seized and villagers expelled, even in communities established before the creation of Pakistan. He said that whether it’s the forced conversion of underage Christian girls or the illegal seizure of Christian homes, police often fail to provide protection and justice, instead shielding the perpetrators.
He highlighted that in recent times, minorities have been stripped of the right to elect their representatives by their own votes. While Muslims have the right to elect their representatives through their votes, this right has been taken away from Christians, and political parties now control the selection process for their representatives. This is a grave violation of human rights.
The Pakistan Masiha Millat Party therefore demanded at the conference that the government restore minorities’ right to elect their representatives by their votes. The PMMP said the government should introduce a bill in Parliament to protect minorities, and all political parties must play their part in passing it. Additionally, effective measures should be taken to prevent the forced conversion and forced marriages of underage minority girls, the PMMP demanded.
