“This is obviously a major setback to Christians and other religious
minorities,” said the Rev Maqsood Kamil, spokesperson for the Presbyterian
Church of Pakistan (PCP). Kamil was reacting to the government’s approval on June 28 to place seven federal ministries, including the Ministry for
Religious Minorities, under the control of provincial governments. The move is in accordance with the 18th Amendment to Pakistan’s constitution, passed in April.
Pakistan is divided into five provinces, with elected provincial governments
enjoying limited autonomy.
“Now the concerns of the minorities will be dealt at the provincial level
only. It is sad that we will lose our voice at the national level,” said
Kamil.
“The presence of Christians at the federal level is crucial, as they face
continual injustice, prejudice and discrimination inscribed in
legislation,” said Julius Salik of the World Minorities Alliance in a statement decrying the move. A Christian member of the Pakistani National
Assembly, Salik pointed out that concerns of religious minorities “are
national issues that bear no relation to provincial autonomy.”
Besides Christians, minority groups such as Hindis and Ahmadis have also
criticized the decision, pointing out that it would deny a voice to the
already marginalized minorities in Pakistan, where nearly 95 percent of the
country’s 180 million people are Muslim.
“This is extremely harmful to minorities which are already suffering,” said
Arjun Daas, chairman of the Pakistan Meghwar Council, according to a release from the Union of Catholic Asian News.
Pakistan’s Ministry for Religious Minorities was created in 2008 by the
newly elected federal government, led by the Pakistan People’s Party. It was
entrusted to outspoken Catholic Shabhaz Bhatti, who was assassinated March 2 for protesting against the blasphemy law.
