{"id":6429,"date":"2018-03-14T09:30:47","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T09:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/?p=6429"},"modified":"2021-12-15T09:31:58","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T09:31:58","slug":"government-should-appeal-ihc-ruling-on-declaration-of-faith-hrcp-calls-for-government-to-file-appeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/government-should-appeal-ihc-ruling-on-declaration-of-faith-hrcp-calls-for-government-to-file-appeal\/","title":{"rendered":"Government Should Appeal IHC Ruling on Declaration of Faith HRCP Calls for Government to File Appeal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lahore, March 14, 2018:<\/span><\/b>The Islamabad High Court\u2019s (IHC) recent ruling requiring a declaration of faith is cause for serious concern and should be appealed by the federal government, said the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) today.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHRCP is appalled by the recent IHC ruling that makes a declaration of faith mandatory for government and semi-government job applicants, including for the armed forces, judiciary and the civil services,\u201d said HRCP. \u201cThis ruling has serious repercussions for all religious minorities, not least the Ahmadiyya community. Requiring a faith declaration for computerized national identity cards, passports, birth certificates and entry into voter lists will further choke the capacity of minorities to exercise their fundamental rights. These requirements will only enable and deepen institutional discrimination against minority communities,\u201d the Commission added.<\/span><\/p>\n

HRCP, which has long documented\u00a0institutionalized discrimination\u00a0by the state as well as violent attacks by extremists against religious minorities, observed that it was he state\u2019s responsibility to protect all its citizens, regardless of their ethnic, religious and regional identities. The honourable court\u2019s ruling, it cautioned, could lead to an increase in instances of aggression and violence against the Ahmadiyya community in particular. The consequences of this ruling could be deadly for members of this community, given their already precarious personal safety situation in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cForums for justice such as the Honourable IHC should play their due role in safeguarding the fundamental rights of the most vulnerable sections of society. It is therefore unfortunate that\u00a0<\/span>Pakistan<\/span>\u2018s religious minorities should feel more unsafe as a result of a ruling by the honourable court,\u201d\u00a0said HRCP.<\/span><\/p>\n

HRCP called on the government to seek to reverse the Honourable IHC\u2019s ruling through appeal at the earliest.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is essential that the government act in aid of its minority citizens by appealing this ruling speedily and robustly,\u201d said HRCP.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Mehdi Hasan<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Chairperson<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>