Government urged to relieve constitutional from religious discrimination: National Commission for Justice and Peace, Pakistan

Lahore: November 14, 2009, (PCTV Newsdesk)

National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), a Human Rights body established by the Catholic Church in Pakistan has sent their recommendations for removing religious biases and discrimination in the Constitution to the parliamentary Committee for Constitutional Reforms.

In a letter addressed to the head of the Committee Senator Raza Rabani, the Chairperson of NCJP Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha and Peter Jacob, the Executive Secretary expressed their concerns on several Articles in the Constitution of Pakistan that discriminate among citizens on the basis of religion. They further pleaded that these Articles conflicted with Article 20, 22 and 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan guaranteeing religious freedom and equality of citizens.

    The recommendations include:

• The constitution should recognize the multi religious status of Pakistani society.
• The objective resolution article 2-A should be deleted and replaced by Quaid – e – Azam’s speech on August 11, 1947.
• Pakistan would be better represented by an image of a republic.
• Articles 31, 41(b), 91(3), 203 E (4), 227(1), 230 (1, a-d & 3), 260 (3a &b) should be deleted.

Peter Jacob
Executive Secretary
National Commission for Justice and Peace
Pakistan