Pakistan’s Anti-blasphemy Campaign at the UN Minorities’ Forum

(November 12, 2009) The campaign to raise awareness about Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, launched by Christian activists in association with Asia News, has moved to Geneva, Switzerland, for Thursday’s opening of the second UN Forum on Minority Issues. The delegation representing the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) of the Pakistani Catholic Church will take part in two days of meetings with representatives of governments, UN agencies, national human rights organisations and non-governmental organisations. The theme of the forum is ‘Minorities and Effective Political Participation’. Gay Dougall, an independent UN minority expert, will chair the proceedings. NJCP Executive Director Peter Jacob spoke about the issues he will raise during the discussions, namely the need “to reinforce the presence of the Christian minority in Pakistan’s political life, civil society and economy.” This battle is conducted at the same time as that against blasphemy laws, which impose life in prison or death on anyone who desecrates or defiles the Qur‘an or the name of the Prophet Muhammad, a legal tool used by Muslim extremists to strike at minorities and further “Islamise” the country. The recommendations made by Christian activists include the formation of an independent national minority rights commission, the repeal of constitutional and legal discrimination, including the blasphemy laws, to double the minority members in the parliament, change in the electoral system to provide 10 per cent seats to minorities and recognition of national, ethnic and linguistic minorities