Activists Criticize Minority Rights Commission Setup Procedures

News Desk

Islamabad: Human rights activists at a consultation session expressed serious concerns about past methods of establishing minority rights commissions, citing issues such as a lack of a solid legal basis, limited mandates, incompetence, lack of autonomy, and insufficient resources.

They noted that previous commissions had failed to make significant progress towards policy reforms or addressing complaints related to minority rights.

The consultative meeting was held in Islamabad and was attended by representatives from national human rights institutions, lawyers, and human rights experts, concerns and expectations regarding the establishment of a statutory National Commission for Minorities Rights were discussed.

The delay in legislation to establish minority rights commissions was highlighted as prolonging the resolution of longstanding human rights issues faced by minorities.

It was noted that coalition partners of the federal government, including PML-N, PPP, and MQM, had promised in their 2024 election manifestos to establish a statutory national commission for minorities’ rights.

The federal government was urged to consult with human rights experts on a bill and pass legislation to establish this body. The proposed commission would have the mandate to make policy recommendations, investigate complaints, and propose remedies against human rights violations.

Participants recommended that the prospective commission be an independent minority rights institution reflecting religious diversity, rather than a religious body.

They also suggested that representation from the Council of Islamic Ideology or Evacuee Trust Property Board, as seen in other national human rights institutions, was unnecessary.

A working group was formed during the meeting, tasked with drafting a comprehensive bill that aligns with the UN Paris Principles and the directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan issued on June 19, 2014 (SMC No. 1 of 2014).

The group agreed to collaborate with federal ministries, legislators, and political parties to introduce the bill in parliament.