Former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chaudhry Abdul Majeed said that Pakistan policy regarding Kashmir seems to have failed miserably. Talking in a seminar held under International Lobbing Group Youth for Kashmir, Kashmirs leadership unanimous call that the parliament should form a national policy of Kashmir, which the government cannot alter and the chairmanship of Kashmir Committee should be withdrawn from Maulana Fazalur Rehman. “We don’t accept a Kashmir Committee, which does not include a Kashmiri,” they added. On the other hand, Foreign Office said that Pakistan has always raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at UN. There is no doubt that Pakistan has always raised India’s human rights violation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) at all levels and said that it is not India’s internal issue but international issue.
Let me give you a clear picture of human rights violation in Pakistan. Christians and minorities in Islamic Republic of Pakistan are often targeted, hated, mistreated, prosecuted all the way from workplace, in schools, playgrounds, in communities, to all the way in the system right to the top. My main concern is about Christians, so they are ignored not only in Pakistan but forgotten worldwide as often refused by western countries and rejected their asylum. For example, tens of thousands Syrian, Afghan, Pakistani and Egyptian Muslims got refugee status in Canada, Australia and European countries but how often do you see Christian refugees from the same countries. Thousands are leading miserable life and looking for their future in Thailand but UNHCR and so called international human rights defenders are silent about their status. Where is Germany the current Chancellor Angela Markel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and even Pope Francis, who asked Catholic to accommodate one Muslim refugee family each?
If Muslims are unsafe in their own countries, how can one consider that Christians are safe in Sunni Muslim dominated country, Pakistan? Blasphemy laws are “official hanging sword” and often misused to kill minorities in Pakistan. According to National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) an estimated number has gone to 1,470; those have been charged under the stringent blasphemy laws of Pakistan, until 2015 and 1,116 are recorded in Punjab province only. NCJP sources added that around 12 are facing death sentences including Asia Bibi, Sawan Masih, Zafar, Anjam Naz and Javed Naz (Christians). More than fifty people accused of blasphemy were murdered during their judicial trails. Governor Punjab, Salman Taseer and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti were killed for talking about this law and its misuse.
In the recent past, churches and Christian’s colonies have been attacked and set ablaze. Christian couple was burnt alive accusing blasphemy. Christian girls are routinely kidnapped, raped and forcefully converted to Islam. The government failed to protect lives and properties of Minorities. Government usually lauds about protection and rights given to minorities but practically have done nothing. When government representatives raise voice about the human rights violation in Kashmir; better to think about the human rights violation in Pakistan first.
Minorities are not given right to chose their representative through secret belt vote. It is violation of basic human right. There is no minister to protect for minorities rights at federal level. Five percent quota is announced by the previous government but not implemented, most recently; during the recent Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police Rapid Response Force recruitment; IG Islamabad totally ignored this quota. Religious Minister and Minister for Interfaith Harmony at Federal level is both Muslim. To fulfill the GSP plus status requirement, government appointed a retired judge from the same faith as Chairman Human Rights Commission. Later in political interest, government appointed a Christian person as a Federal Minister for Human Rights. Taking oath as a chairman Evacuee Trust Property Board (EPTB), Mr. Saddique-ul-Farooq, [(PML-N) leader] assured all Hindu and Sikh Communities of the world of protection of their properties through impeccable measures. If the government is really interested to serve these minorities group, why don’t they appoint any minority person who can look after their inheritance and can even serve better its communities?
A human rights activist Kashif Nawab, Director (SATH) rejected the measures taken by the present government and said that the government should take minorities in confidence while appointing heads of the institutions like chairman ETPB. He demanded the government to replace Minister for Interfaith Harmony, Peer Amin ul Hasnat and appoint any minority person as well as chairman ETPB. Government should ensure to implement 5 percent quota at all level. Either the government wants minorities to fight for their rights like Kashmiris, he added.