Minister for
Parliamentary Affairs Azam Swati said that new National Commission for
Minorities (NCM) would be constituted within the next six months as the
three-year tenure of the present commission had already expired.
Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony was preparing a case for its fresh constitution with revised composition of members. He said during the last five years, NCM issued six no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the sale of minorities properties.
Terms of the
NCM include developing a policy on inter-faith harmony, exploring avenues for
peace and security, considering such laws, which are reportedly discriminatory
towards the minorities.
The
commission also recommends steps aimed at ensuring fuller and effective
participation by the members of minority communities in all aspects of national
life.
Besides, it
also ensures minorities’ full and effective participation in association with
their religious and cultural festival and celebrations.
It also looks
into the grievances and representations made by the members of any minority
community to the government and, after examination of such grievances, to make
suitable recommendations for their resolution.
It also
ensures that the churches, shrines, temples, gurdwaras and other places of
worships of the minority communities are preserved and well kept in a
functional condition.
National
Commission for Minorities actively performed during the tenure of last
government.
Six meetings
of NCM were held and 61 important decisions were taken including taking notice
of the burning alive of a Christian couple in Kasur district.
On the
recommendations of NCM, provincial governments and Islamabad Capital Territory
(ICT) administration constituted district interfaith harmony committees
comprising members from all religions and presided by a high level government
official, so that these Committees may take immediate action to address any
incident at initial level and work as a task force.
On the
recommendations of NCM, National Interfaith Harmony Conferences were also
arranged in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar,Quetta, Islamabad and Muzaffarabad.
NCM took
notice of the registration of FIRs against some prayer leaders of Mosques in
Islamabad on hate speeches and on use of loud speakers and asked for report on
security measures taken for minority worship places in Islamabad.
On the
recommendations of NCM, implementation of job quota reserved for minorities was
taken up with federal ministries, divisions, departments as well as from
provincial governments.
Issue raised
with CDA to make functional the gurdwara/temple in Saidpur village, Islamabad,
however, the same could not be made possible due to security reasons.
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