Minorities join forces to defend human rights and religious tolerance
Lahore (AsiaNews) The goals of the newly-created National Solidarity for Equal Rights (NSER) are peace, religious tolerance and effective application of human rights laws to the entire Pakistani population. Set up by different organisations such as the National Commission for Justice and Peace of the Bishops' Conference, Caritas Pakistan, and the Christian Study Centre of Rawalpindi, the NSER brings together those who want to see minority rights recognised and discriminatory laws abolished.
"The organisations involved in the National Solidarity for Equal Right have maintained this stand in the past as well," reads the press release announcing the NSER's creation; "however, they feel it necessary to launch this mass contact campaign to repeal the blasphemy and Hudood Laws after the incidents of Naushera and Sangla Hill in 2005, where temples belonging to Hindus as well as churches, two schools and several Christian properties where destroyed after mere allegations of desecration of the Qur'an (later proved to be baseless)."
Sections B and C of Article 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code, generally known as the Hudood Ordinances or blasphemy laws , punish offences to the Qur'an and slurs against the prophet Muhammad with life in prison and death or life in prison respectively.
Since 1996, when they came into effect, tens of Christians have been killed for allegedly defaming Islam. Altogether, 560 people have been brought to court and sentence is still pending in 30 such cases. These rules have however been used very often to settle scores, not punish lawbreakers.
Rooted in the Qur'an, the ordinances punish behaviours deemed incompatible with Islam such as adultery, gambling, and drinking. Changes made in October 2004 as a result of pressures from NSER partners limited maximum penalties (life in prison or capital punishment) to crimes of honour but they have often been disregarded.
"From 1986 to 2005, at least 745 persons were charged under the blasphemy laws in Pakistan. [. . .] At least 106 [. . .] were found innocent by the courts."
But often the problem is that once made, blasphemy allegations are hard to get to court because the alleged culprit ends up "tried" by enraged mobs.
Compounding the issue is that fact that although Hudood Ordinances are applicable to non-Muslims, the latter are not allowed to full witnesses in the cases tried under these rules, nor can they preside over the legal proceeding as judges.
In the end, for the NSEQ, a "civilised society cannot remain oblivious to the plight of people under the laws governing them. Therefore, this campaign focuses on creating awareness among people [. . .] demanding government officials deal with the discriminatory laws and its ill effects with seriousness."
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