Islamabad: Asif Ali Zardari has traditionally greeted Sikh pilgrims, Hindus and other minorities on the occasion of Christmas, Holi and now Baisakh
The law commission declared a law panel to frame procedure for religious conversion and re-conversion. They cited the Kerala High Court’s reference while settling a marriage dissolution case (16th October, 2009)invited the attention of the Law Commission to frame procedure regarding conversion and re-conversion in Hindu Marriage act 1955 as its background. The commission continues saying that “Prima facie, the Law Commission is not in favour of disturbing the existing state of law as laid down in a series of court-decisions as regards the essential elements of proof required to establish the plea of conversion/re-conversion. However, the Law Commission feels that it would be proper to implement the suggestion of the High Court to a limited extent by providing that the convert/reconvert should be given an option to file a declaration before the concerned Registrar of Marriages with the prescribed particulars so that it could serve as a piece of evidence among others in resolving the issue - as and when a future controversy arises. This would, to some extent, address the concerns expressed by the Court.”
We need to have deeper deliberations into the facts that it is the first announcement made by the commission. Even though the commission has presented its intention very nave and obvious by saying that it is only trying make a procedure for the purpose of marriage. But if we look it from the other side, it means the commission will formulate the law after receiving suggestions from the public. We must remember that the fundamental organizations have infiltrated into the entire governmental and non-governmental organizations. They have well developed think-thank working in every field with single aim. Where as the Christian community is divided into denominational differences and many of its high ranking office bearers are busy with unproductive marathon meetings and their works remain on papers. So the question comes, how do we use this opportunity?
The secular constitution of India has not given fundamental right to convert any one into any religion but freedom of speech, Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion, freedom to attend religious instructions and establish educational institutions with a preferential option for children of its religion are guaranteed as fundamental rights. The Freedom of Religion Acts existing in Chattisgarh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan,(pending with President of India)
and Gujarat have blatantly violated the above mentioned fundamental rights. And wherever the Hindutva thinkers come into power , let them be belonging to any political party, are trying to make an anti-conversion laws.
If we look the whole issue form a political point of view it is clear that fundamental organizations have used the silence of the Congress Party to silence the Muslims. The issue of temple building ceased to be an issue that catches attention of the public in electoral politics. The only issue that still attracts attention is “religious conversion”. The BJP which ruled for six years could not bring a law in the country to regulate religious conversion. So it may be possible that the political mind of the Congress Party and the Hindutva thinkers with the Congress Party are working together on this issue to woo the hard core Hindutva forces in a time when the BJP is in a weak state of affairs. We must keep in mind soon elections to the lager states are to be held within a year.
We need to turn this opportunity into a blessing by mobilizing secular organizations and individuals from all walks of life, different denominations, Christian organizations, Christian legal experts, thinkers etc. may be motivated to send real suggestions to the commission. We also must ask for a pubic hearing on this matter so that some of the people who suffered very badly on issues of conversion can give statements and produce documents to the commission. It will also help if the six States where anti-conversion law exists could collect incidents of violence based on conversion and present to the commission. After all these we must use RTI Act 2005 to collect all suggestions received by the commission. So that we can prepare a strategy and also a draft that can be submitted to the commission before or after it puts its first draft for public opinion. We might ask how we get so much time; it is simple that from now on we must approach in mass to extend its time limit. Time never waits for us but great are those who run along the time to turn all odds into fortunes.
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"Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" By Nazir S Bhatti
On demand of our readers, I have decided to release E-Book version of "Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" on website of PCP which can also be viewed on website of Pakistan Christian Congress www.pakistanchristiancongress.org . You can read chapter wise by clicking tab on left handside of PDF format of E-Book.







