IPRI organises seminar to mark Interfaith Harmony Day

ISLAMABAD: The International Day of Interfaith Harmony was marked on Tuesday at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) by organising a seminar, which was participated by a distinguished panel, consisting of Dr Shoaib Suddle, chairman of the One Man Commission; Bishop Rt Reverend Nazir Alam, United Church of Pakistan, and Senator Krishna Kumari.

IPRI Acting President Brig Dr Raashid Wali Janjua (Retd) and IPRI Chair Law Maham Naweed introduced the panel and underscored the need to promote a dialogue on communal and interfaith harmony.

Dr Janjua referred to the speech of Father of the Nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on August 11, 1947; wherein, he said that religion will not be a subject of the state and believers of all faith would be free to exercise their rights without any discrimination.

This is what is needed, as we go on to further the message of interfaith harmony in Pakistan, he added.

Bishop Nazir Alam dispelled the impression that the minorities are on the receiving end in Pakistan and are being victimised.

The constitution and the state institutions guarantee equal fundamental and civil rights and the problem, if any, rests in its implementation, he said, adding that such a practical discrepancy should not be used to promote a sense of marginalisation.

He also observed that the issue of forced conversion is blown out of proportion and there is no such thing by intuition by any segment of the society.

He necessitated the need to analyse such incidents and allegations in the individual case domain and not to summarise it as a societal problem.

While pointing out the state of affairs of Hindu community in Pakistan, Senator Kumari, who herself belongs to a scheduled caste and has risen to the highest echelon of policy-making in the country, said that the minorities are well-protected in Pakistan and there is a need to further the harmony by resorting to more legislation, where Hindus and other minorities are exposed to highhandedness.

Dr Shoaib Suddle detailed out the issue of minorities’ crisis in Pakistan in the law and order sphere since 2013 when the first barbaric attack was carried out on a church in Peshawar.

He said terrorism and other waves in Pakistan is an outcome of post-9/11 politics and the war on terrorism.

The 2014 Army Public School attack and subsequent security fissures necessitated the Supreme Court to take a suo motu notice for the minorities’ protection.

Justice Tasaduq Hussain of the apex court had formed a commission to ensure welfare and protection of the minorities in Pakistan in 2014 and this happening has literally strengthened the institutional support to the minorities in all constitutional sincerity, he added.

He said that 5 per cent quota for the minorities in jobs and other preferential stipends in education go on to underscore the importance that the state provides to the minorities.

Taking out hate material from the syllabus and reforming the curriculum by including teachings and history of other religions are a welcome omen.

Dr Suddle pointed out at the special CSS exams held for the minorities in Pakistan recently and said that efforts are under way to ensure rights of the communities in all spheres of law and realms of life at par with the majority community.

Talking about the age of marriage, the panel was of the view that there should be no tab on it and quoted the example of Bangladesh where matrimonial age is 21. This has resulted in lessening the population of Bangladesh, and at the same time, empowering the women.

The seminar noted that there is much that needs to be done to promote minorities’ culture and religious values by educating the masses and realising the great civilisational belongings of Buddhism that is found in Pakistan.

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