The demands were placed through protest and rallying on International Human Rights legislation Day.
Pakistani Hindus demand legislation against Forced Conversions. Rwadari Tehreek-Pakistan held a Protest Rally on 10th December 2021, the International Human Rights Day outside Lahore Press Club to urge the government and other stakeholders for immediate legislation to stop forced religious conversions, misuse of blasphemy laws, and mob violence in the name of religion.
The participants of the Protest Rally expressed outrage and concerns over the consistent incidents of forceful conversions of girls belonging to religious minorities and rejection of the pro-minorities legislation and urged the government to take immediate steps for effective legislation to stop forced religious conversions.
Furthermore, the protestors also raised questions on the negligence of the state machinery, especially the parliament, human rights and minorities affairs ministries, National Commission on Minorities, and the judicial system for their failure to protect minorities which fails to provide timely justice in most of the incidents. The peaceful protestors also chanted slogans against the misuse of Blasphemy Laws and the brutal murder of Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumara at Sialkot after a baseless blasphemy allegation and demanded stern action against the perpetrators.
Pakistani Hindus against Forced Conversions
The Protest Rally was participated and addressed by Samson Salamat (Chairman Rwadari Tehreek), Human Rights Defenders Irfan Mufti, The Very Rev. Emmanuel Khokhar (Dean of Raiwind Diocese), Bishop Dominic Javed (Chairman, Supreme Council of Bishops), Sr. Genevieve, Bishop Majeed Ashiq Naz (Finance Secretary, Supreme Council of Bishops), Pastor Saleem Khokhar (Raiwind Diocese), Tariq Siraj (Chairman Mutehada Masihi Party). Leaders of Rwadari Tehreek Rana Irfan-ul-Islam, Asmarah Daud, Adoo Ram, Imran Ghauri, Nasir Jamil, Vickram Manzoor, Iqbal Martial, Shahid Rafique, Sohail Samuel, Nusrat Chaudhary, Leeza Barkat, Asif Nathaniel and other political, social and religious leaders.
Chairman Rwadari Tehreek Mr. Samson Salamat, while addressing the peaceful protestors extended deepest condolences to the family of Priyantha Kumara, the people, and the government of Sri Lanka and apologized on the cold-blooded murder of an innocent Sri Lankan citizen on 3rd December at Sialkot. Mr. Samson Salamat said that “The Sialkot incident is completely unbearable and we call upon the government to ensure that the perpetrators brought to justice, by all means, to avoid such incidents in future in the name of religion”.
Mr. Samson Salamat further added that “The religious minorities’ communities are very disappointed over the consistent rejection of the pro-minorities legislation, especially The Prohibition of Forced Conversions Act 2021 (the Bill) by the Parliamentary Committee to Protect Minorities in a chaotic and un-convinced manner on 13th October 2021.
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This has once again proved that the screams and cries of the minority communities are being ignored and the criminal elements continue to operate with impunity in forcible abductions, rapes and marriages of Christians, Hindu, and Sikh girls. There is a dire and urgent need to stop this human rights abuse proper legislation before it gets too late with more damages to the weak religious minorities”.
