Human Rights Watch (HRW) has termed the Pakistani government’s exclusion of members of the Ahmadiyya religious movement from a commission on safeguarding the rights of minorities “absurd”.
The Ahmadis are among the most persecuted communities in Pakistan and to exclude them from a minority rights commission is absurd,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, a US-based rights group, in a statement on Friday.
“Keeping Ahmadis off the commission shows the extent to which the community faces discrimination every day.”
Earlier this week, the Pakistani government established the National Commission on Minorities (NCM), an interfaith body aimed at increasing religious tolerance and addressing issues of persecution in the country of 220 million people.
The federal government on Tuesday withdrew its decision of including Ahmadis in the National Commission for Minorities.
According to sources, following recommendations from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the government withdrew its earlier decision to give representation to the Ahmadi community in the minorities commission.
They said that the decision was reconsidered after the move sparked fierce criticism from the religious right on mainstream and social media platforms.
A Hindu community member from Sindh, Chela Ram Kewlani has been named as chairman of the commission. Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad and Mufti Gulzar Ahmed Naeemi will represent the Muslim community in the commission.
Three members each have been selected from Hindu and Christian community, while two members have been named from Sikh community and one member each will represent Kelash and Parsi communities in the commission. No Ahmadi has been included in the commission. The chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology will be the commission’s ex-officio member while the religious affairs secretary will also act as the commission’s secretary.
