Pakistan’s highest court orders minority religions protected

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the government there to enact a range of measures to protect religious minorities in a move described as “historic”.

In a ruling arising from the September 2013 suicide attack on the All Saints church in Peshawar which claimed 85 lives, Chief Justice Tasaduq Hussain Jillani ordered immediate action in various areas, including: the establishment of a task force to tackle religious intolerance, measures to address hate speech on social media, the formation of a Minority Rights Council to monitor the status of religious minorities, criminal actions against those who desecrate places of worship, a police service dedicated to protection of places of worship and an already existing 5% employment quota for non-Muslims in government-controlled sectors to be enforced.

Notably, the court also ordered that unbiased school and college curricula be developed to counter the communicating of anti-minority sentiment via schools, a problem long highlighted by advocacy groups in Pakistan.

In his ruling – running to 32 pages – Justice Jillani lamented the fact that “the constitutional provisions on the protection of minority rights have not been respected in Pakistan”.

Constructive development

Among those welcoming the legal move was Nasir Saeed of Pakistan’s Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement.

“It is an historic day for Christians and other religious minorities who for years have asked the various governments to establish an independent commission to protect their rights,” he said. “We hope that the Pakistani government opens its eyes to the suffering of minorities and adopts concrete measures, allowing minorities to be able to live in the country without fear of persecution.”

Cecil Shane Chaudhry, executive director of the Pakistani Catholic bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission, also welcomed the court order, describing it as an “historic decision in the judicial history of Pakistan”.

Mervyn Thomas, chief executive with the advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide said the ruling was “a constructive development which, if implemented effectively, could have a very positive impact on the ground”.