Source:  www.assistnews.net

Date:  2008-03-30

APMA Chief calls for equality and repeal of discriminatory laws

By Sheraz Khurram Khan
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- Referring to the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's speech he made in the first constituent assembly of Pakistan in 1947, the Chairman of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti has called for treatment of Pakistani minorities on the basis of equality.

"We want a modern and democratic Pakistan in which every citizen of the

Shahbaz Bhatti addressing a rally in 2007

Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti has been campaigning for rights of Pakistani minorities communities since 1985. Years later, he founded the All Pakistan Minorities alliance (APMA), a representative group of Pakistani minorities including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities to raise the voice of the minorities from a relatively large platform.

Earlier, in August 2007, Mr. Shahbaz addressed a mammoth minority meeting at Minar-e-Pakistan, the site where plans for the creation of a new state were first drawn up. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shahbaz had then called for treatment of Pakistani minorities as equal citizens besides voicing minorities' cardinal concern---repeal of all discriminatory laws including Pakistan controversial blasphemy laws.

He reiterated his long-held stance regarding repeal of all discriminatory laws during the maiden speech he made in Pakistan National Assembly, the Lower House of Parliament on Saturday.

A recipient of the Religious Liberty Award, Mr. Shahbaz maintained that Pakistani minorities also be given their due representation in Senate, the Upper House of Parliament.

Voicing another major demand of Pakistani minorities during his address to the parliament, Mr. Shahbaz also called for increase in minority seats in the national and provincial assemblies.

He demanded that all religious festivals of Pakistani minorities should be observed at the national level. The Christian legislator also demanded that a public holiday be declared on all religious festivals of Pakistani minorities' communities. During his speech in the parliament, the APMA Chief also called for equal religious freedom in Pakistan.

Pointing to the biased role of media vis-à-vis covering minorities' religious programs, the APMA Chief called for coverage of prayers and religious programs of the minorities' communities by the media.

Pakistani minorities have shed their blood in the creation of Pakistan so they must be treated on the basis of equality and should be given their fundamental and inalienable rights, he said.

The APMA Chief also called for construction of a monument in front of parliament to pay tribute to the sacrifices the slain Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chief, Benazir Bhutto made for the cause of democracy in Pakistan.

Mr. Shahbaz had years of association with Ms. Bhutto. He had had several meetings with her during which he apprised her of the issues facing Pakistani minorities communities as a result of which Ms. Bhutto incorporated minorities' demands in the party's election manifesto. As a result of 2008 parliamentary elections, the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance has emerged as the most powerful representative party of minorities, filling Pakistani minorities with deep optimism that their long-neglected demands will be attended to.

The Christian leader vowed that religious minorities of Pakistan would continue to mount sincere efforts for progress, prosperity, integrity and development of Pakistan. He also called for allocation of employment quota for Pakistani minorities.

In an exclusive chat with ANS, Mr. Shahbaz said a host of factors compelled him to raise the voice of the voiceless in the Pakistan parliament.

"I am no seeker of any personal interest. I have decided to raise the voice of the oppressed, down-trodden, under-privileged and the marginalized minorities communities. The silence and apathy of the former minority legislators also forced me to advocate the case of minorities' communities in Parliament," Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti said.

He said growing persecution, Talibanization of Pakistan, ever increasing incidents of discrimination of Pakistani minorities' communities and failure of the former minority lawmakers in getting minorities' demands materialized were from among several factors that made him take the decision of raising the voice of the marginalized people in Parliament.

Mr. Shahbaz said he had been offered public offices in the past but he had spurned all those offers. "The APMA is struggling for rights of the have-nots. Our struggle has never been for public offices, perks and privileges. The APMA wants to ameliorate the lot of Pakistani minorities through legislative reforms," he said.

Minority people had been disenchanted after they had been duped by erstwhile minority parliamentarians, he said.

Given the deep-seated pessimism in them, it was a long haul uniting them on APMA's platform, said Shahbaz, alluding to his struggle spanning over some 23 years for the rights of Pakistani minorities.

"I am thankful to people for putting their trust in my leadership and I will not rest until Pakistani minorities enjoy equal and similar rights," a calm but firm Shahbaz told ANS.

He claimed there was absolute transparency and democracy within the APMA. Elaborating on the claim, he said the APMA had formed District Coordination Committees, who he said will make recommendations on all crucial matters ranging from naming deserving people for jobs to laying down priorities as to where the development funds should be spent to nominating deserving students for scholarships.

Reacting to anti-Islam film, "Finta" made by far-right Dutch parliamentarian, Geert Wilders, Shahbaz said the making of the controversial film was an individual act of the Dutch parliamentarian. He said that the extremist and hard-line Muslims will try to make a capital of the situation by inflaming the religious sentiment of Pakistani Muslims.