Demonstrations and hunger strike in Pakistan to demand rights for minorities

"The Pakistani government must improve laws, policies and actions to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, and improve citizens' access to justice, without distinction," organizers say.

On August 11, National Minority Day, the organization Voice for Justice organized demonstrations to demand rights for minorities in Pakistan, Christians or Hindus.

"The Pakistani government must improve laws, policies and actions to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, and improve citizens' access to justice, without distinction," organizers say.

The spokesperson for the NGO, Ilyas Samuel, deplores, in remarks taken up by theAgenzia Fides, a “society intoxicated by hatred, discrimination and extremism due to the inertia of the government machine, which has led to an increase in episodes of intolerance and violence in the name of religion”:

“We are asking for legal and administrative measures. We want to realize the Pakistan promised by the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah, where everyone has freedom and equal rights. »

He also deplores the fact that "most blasphemy cases, which are often used to intentionally target Christians, are based on trumped up charges which result in the accused facing several years of imprisonment", also mentioning the impunity of complainants who make false accusations; and the “mass violence against members of minority communities” resulting from the accusations.

The organization Voice for Justice calls for the adoption of several measures to improve the rights of minorities, including:

• taking positive measures for the protection, promotion and realization of minority rights
• the establishment of a committee of experts made up of lawyers and human rights activists to examine the bill introducing safeguards against forced religious conversions
• consideration of a bill to amend the Child Marriage Restraint Act
  the criminalization of forced conversions
• the criminalization of forced conversions
• the revision of curricula and textbooks adopted in public schools so that education is a means of promoting diversity and social cohesion

The Rwadari Tehreek Pakistan organization organized a two-day hunger strike in front of the Punjab Provincial Assembly in Lahore, the Pakistani capital, in order to obtain rights for minorities.

MC