Islamabad: The Minority Rights Bill was passed in a joint session of Parliament, while the opposition staged a walkout in protest.
The traditional uproar between the government and the opposition continued during the voting in the session. 160 members of the House supported the bill while 79 members opposed it, after which the opposition members left the House shouting slogans.
In the meeting, the PPP voted in favor of the bill, but the party’s Qadir Patel openly opposed it and left the house in protest. Similarly, Senators Abdul Qadir and Aimal Wali Khan also voted against the bill, which made it clear that the political ranks were also divided internally on the issue.
The proceedings of the session heated up when Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar assured the House that the bill was only related to protecting the rights of the minority community and that no legislation was being enacted against Islamic injunctions.
He also clarified that the things being spread regarding prisoner number 804 are just political slogans. He also said that the Supreme Court itself had directed the establishment of this commission in 2014, so it is not appropriate to make it controversial.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman took the stand that such laws create a risk of misuse, so this law requires more caution. His party member Alia Kamran moved an amendment to remove Article 35, which was approved by a majority vote.
The Law Minister also explained that objections had been raised to the presence of this clause, so it was considered better to withdraw it.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar said that the agenda includes 7 laws, but this is the most sensitive legal bill, so every aspect should be examined carefully. Rejecting the impression of anti-Islam legislation, he said that minorities are also citizens of the country, but the constitutional boundaries are clear.
Senators Noorul Haq Qadri, Kamran Murtaza and Raja Nasir Abbas also raised strong objections to various aspects of the bill in their speeches. Most of the reservations were on the provisions related to Qadianis which were declared controversial. PPP’s Qadir Patel even said that this issue is linked to the sentiments of the Ummah of Muhammad (PBUH), hence caution is of utmost importance.
