ISLAMABAD: A national roundtable convened by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Thursday called for the establishment of a statutory national commission for the rights of minorities as per the recommendation of the 2014 Supreme Court Jillani judgement.

HRCP’s director Farah Zia recalled that the national commission for minorities that was set up in 2020 failed to meet the demands of minorities. She underscored the need for an autonomous commission established along the lines of the Paris Principles.

A statement issued by HRCP said that representatives from minority groups, political parties, and government departments, the Ministry of Human Rights, the National Commission for Human Rights, and rights organisations proposed several recommendations regarding the setup of such a commission.

Pritam Das Rathi from the Hindu community said that the majority of the members must be minorities. Furthermore, the commission must report on the state of minorities’ rights to the prime minister on a quarterly basis. Professor Mehar Dad from the Bahai community said that the commission’s role must extend to all provinces and regions.

Father Sarfraz Simon from the Christian community pointed out that the school curriculum must be reformed to remove hate speech and reflect the role of minorities in the formation of Pakistan. Mahmood Iftikhar from the Ahmadiyya community added that the commission must be inclusive of the rights of vulnerable groups such as Ahmadis, who had experienced numerous desecrations of their sites of worship in 2023.

Rights activist Peter Jacob said that the Jillani judgement addressed majoritarian imbalances in institutions. The work of national human rights institutions was complementary to the executive, not parallel to it. He further urged political parties to include the implementation of the Jillani judgement in their election manifestos.

JUI-F representative Aasia Nasir said that a national commission for minorities must be people-oriented, with separate budgetary allocations and a clear mandate. Dr Shoaib Suddle from the Suddle Commission emphasised how societal attitudes must change, to which HRCP council member Farhatullah Babar added that addressing majoritarian bias was necessary given the refusal to accept the validity of such a commission.

HRCP council member Hina Jilani recommended developing a statute for a commission after a wide consultation, adding that Ahmadi representatives be included in the commission to uphold their rights. The Supreme Court must also make an implementation plan for the Jillani judgement, and mob mentality to block progressive legislation must be discouraged.

Concluding the discussion, HRCP’s secretary-general, Harris Khalique, said that the national commission for the rights of minorities must meet internal accountability mechanisms along with the Paris Principles in terms of its composition, mandate, authority, and resources. Salman Farrukh from HRCP, who moderated the roundtable, announced the launch of an HRCP awareness campaign for the implementation of the Jillani Judgement.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2024