Quaid-e-Azam’s Historic August 11 Address Should Be Made a Guiding Principle of the Constitution: Akmal Bhatti

Effective legislation should be enacted to ensure equal rights, political representation, religious freedom and prevention of forced conversion of minorities.

Faisalabad (Mian Iftikhar Ahmad) — Chairman of Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP), Akmal Bhatti, Advocate, has demanded that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s historic address to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, be adopted as a guiding principle for Pakistan and incorporated into the preamble of the Constitution. Addressing a rally organized in remembrance of the country’s religious minorities on the occasion of National Minorities Day, Akmal Bhatti said that religious minorities in Pakistan want the country to be rid of extremism, sectarianism and terrorism. He said that Minorities Alliance Pakistan is a representative movement of the country’s religious minorities and remains committed to continuing its constitutional and democratic struggle for equal rights, equal citizenship and equal opportunities for all minorities. He said that Pakistan’s prosperity and development depend on good governance, elimination of corruption and ensuring affordable and speedy justice for every citizen. On the occasion of National Minorities Day, Akmal Bhatti paid tribute to the services and invaluable contributions of Federal Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, Bishop John Joseph, Justice A.R. Cornelius, Justice Bhagwan Das, Justice Dorab Patel, M.L. Shahani, Dr. Ruth Pfau, Dewan Bahadur S.P. Singha, Chandu Lal, C.E. Gibbon, Cecil Chaudhry and other patriotic members of the minority communities, saying that members of religious minorities have played an important role in every field, from the Pakistan Movement to the development and progress of the country. He said that even today, young men and women belonging to minority communities are defending Pakistan’s borders, sacrificing their lives and attaining the highest honour of martyrdom. Love for the motherland and loyalty to Pakistan are deeply rooted in the hearts of minority communities, and despite numerous challenges, difficult circumstances and discriminatory treatment, minorities continue to stand firmly under the national flag. Akmal Bhatti said that successive governments have neglected minority communities for decades and failed to resolve their longstanding issues; however, he expressed hope that wise and visionary leadership would take effective measures to address the concerns and problems of minority communities. He described the creation of new provinces as an important national necessity and said that if administrative restructuring is carried out within the framework of the Constitution and equal political representation is provided to minorities and other marginalized communities, Minorities Alliance Pakistan would support such a move. He demanded that the government enact comprehensive and effective legislation to prevent the forced conversion of underage girls. He said that no individual or group should be allowed, in the name of religion, to endanger the lives, property or religious beliefs of children or members of minority communities. Akmal Bhatti criticized the existing joint electoral system, saying that it has numerous shortcomings and that the current method of allocating reserved seats for women and minorities deprives a large section of the population of the right to directly elect its representatives. He demanded that the government amend Article 51 of the Constitution of Pakistan, increase the number of seats in the National and Provincial Assemblies, ensure fair delimitation of electoral constituencies and introduce a dual-vote system to ensure effective political representation for minorities. He also urged the government to fully and effectively implement the National Action Plan across the country to eliminate terrorism, religious hatred and violent extremism. He called for effective measures to prevent the misuse of sensitive religious laws and demanded justice for innocent people who have remained imprisoned for years awaiting the hearing and decisions of their cases. He also called for strict action and punishment against those involved in violent mob attacks and acts of taking the law into their own hands. Akmal Bhatti further demanded the allocation of a five percent educational quota for minority students across the country, saying that genuine equality and sustainable development cannot be achieved without providing equal educational opportunities. Concluding his address, he said that the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan must be fully ensured for every citizen without discrimination and that all discriminatory constitutional provisions should be abolished. Shimon Gul, Anosh Bhatti, Sadaf Adnan, Sarfraz Gul, Father Khalid Rashid, Father Zafar, Pastor Samson, Pastor Nisar, Pastor Hur Arshad and other religious, political and social leaders also addressed the rally and reaffirmed their commitment to equality, justice, religious freedom and constitutional rights for all Pakistani citizens.