Pakistan must end majority Vs minority wordage, safeguard its non-Muslims

Karachi : A Pakistan-based lawyer and freelance journalist has said that the successful tabling of two landmark private member bills — the Sindh Minority Rights Commission Bill and the Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill — in the Sindh Assembly, may not necessarily guarantee the safety and protection of the country’s minority Hindu, Sikh and Christian communities.
In article published in the Express Tribune, Maria Kari has described both of these proposed Bills to be promising and progressive, but improbable in terms of eventual implementation because of a lack of political will, weak administration and corruption that defines Pakistan.Praising Nand Kumar Goklani, a Hindu member of the Sindh Assembly, for tabling the two bills, Kari, however, said, “In its current form, the proposed law is promising and progressive. It comes with several built-in special measures that would heighten protection of a victim of a marriage based on forced conversion. It grants the alleged convert an option to study comparative religions. It places a ban on reporting names or the locations of the alleged convert to increase protection of her and her family. It promises heightened security for the prosecution, its witnesses, and investigating officers.”Most importantly, it promises a punishment to fit the crime: if a marriage is deemed to have been performed on the basis of a forced conversion, the court can fast-track divorce proceedings. Individuals found guilty of forceful conversion face a minimum five-year sentence that can extend to a life sentence. And those, such as the police or religious clerics, who are found guilty of making the marriage happen, face a minimum three-year sentence.”