Faisalabad: December 9, 2014. (PCP) Professor Anjum James Paul, Chairman PMTA has written a letter to Prime Minister of Pakistan Mohammad Mian Nawaz Sharif to replace biased curriculum and textbooks. Here we are posting contents of letter: To Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Prime Minister of Pakistan Prime Minister’s Secretariat Islamabad. Subject: REQUEST TO REPLACE BIASED CURRICULUM AND TEXTBOOKS. Honourable Sir, Greetings and well wishes from Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association (PMTA). PMTA would like to draw your kind attention on the subject cited above although after the 18th amendment in the Constitution, education is a provincial matter. The Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his presidential address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947 said, “We are starting in the days when there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State.” Article 25 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees equal rights to all citizens as it declares , “All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.” It is the first and foremost responsibility of a state to treat all citizens equally. Though fundamental constitutional human rights have been guaranteed to all citizens in the Constitution of Pakistan but it is so sad that these rights have been deliberately violated by the governments against the religious minorities. There is discrimination with the citizens belonging from the religious minorities on the religious basis and they are deprived of exercising fully their fundamental human rights. Sir, Pakistani minorities have played their equal role in the making of Pakistan. These were only Christians who were in a position to decide the fate of Punjab ,either to unite or divide Punjab. They used their decisive votes for the partition of Punjab and thus Punjab became the part of Pakistan by the votes of the Christians. The religious minorities of Pakistan played their prominent role side by side with the Muslim minority in the undivided India with a dream that their rights would be protected in Pakistan. This dream can become a reality if biases and discrmination against religious minorities are removed from the textbooks and elsewhere. RESERVATIONS 1. National Curriculum 2006-2007 and present textbooks have caused severe damages to the Pakistani nation. The present curriculum and textbooks have played the role of a ‘divider’ instead of a ‘connector’ as it is obvious from the textbooks which have been developed according to the National Curriculum 2006-2007. Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association has published research based documents on the textbooks from grade I to grade XII in different subjects like History, Social Studies, Pakistan Studies, Urdu, English, General Knowledge, Islamic Studies and Ethics of National Book Foundation Islamabad, Punjab Textbook Board Lahore, Sindh Textbook Board Jamshoro, Balochistan Textbook Board Quetta and Khyber Pakthtunkhwa Textbook Board Peshawar in October 2014. There has been use of vulgar language, propagation and disinformation only against the minority religions and religious minorities in the textbooks published under the umbrella of the federal and provincial governments of Pakistan in 2013-2014. The research identifies that the National Curriculum 2006-2007 and the textbooks have violated Article 22 (1) the Constitution of Pakistan that guarantees, “No person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction, or take part in any religious ceremony, or attend religious worship, if such instruction, ceremony or worship relates to a religion other than his own.” In the present textbooks, students of different religions are considered of one religion. These textbooks preach only one religion, invite the attention of the students to convert only to one religion, promote religious identity of only one religion and promote dignity of the followers of only one religion which is the violation of constitution. 2. Ministry of Education (Curriculum Wing), Government of Pakistan, Islamabad ensured in a letter No.F.3-17/2007-IE to Prof. Anjum James Paul, Chairman PMTA on 19 September 2007 that ‘there are no biasis in future books.’ The textbooks published in 2013-2014 are biased against the minority religions and the religious minorities of Pakistan. Textbooks are the main cause of extremism and violence in Pakistan. It is so sad that Pakistani textbooks have always been a threat to the lives and properties of the religious minorities.Religious minorities are not considered Pakistanis. They feel insecure and are segregated. National Education Policy 2009 , National Curriculum 2006-2007 and the textbooks are biased against the religious minorities. After reading these textbooks one can easily prey religious minority his/her target and ultimately the religious minorities can be burnt alive, abducted, minor girls and women can be abducted ,forcibly converted and married. There can be desecration of the Holy Books and worship places of religious minorities.Their properties can be grabbed.Their houses can be demolished and burnt to ashes after looting .They can be segregated from the mainstream.There can be religious, social, economic, political discrimination and persecution with the religious minorities on the basis of religion. According to the research Pakistani textbooks present Islamic identity to Pakistan, Pakistan as a state of only Muslims, divide Pakistani nation on the basis of religion, create complex of majority and minority, Quaid-e-Azam as a leader of only Muslims, comparison among religions, let down the Holy Books of religious minorities, desecration of the worship places, let down the Hindu religion, teach Christian beliefs in a different way, provoke religious violence, instigate students to Muslim -Christian violence and Muslim- Hindu violence, biases against Christians, biases against Hindus, biases against Sikhs and discriminatory attitude with the minority students. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. All hate material against the minority religions and religious minorities must be abolished immediately from the textbooks and to include material on the respect of all human beings, human rights, social harmony, peaceful co-existence, understanding the world, respect for all religions and their followers. 2. There must be representation of educationists from the minorities while developing National Education Policy, National Curriculum and textbooks so that biased free and non-controversial education may be inculcated and there may be full grooming of the personality of the child for a better human being for the society. 3. There must be selection of textbooks of private publishers strictly on merit to increase creative learning. 4. Teachings of any religion must be only in the subject of ‘Religion’ or particular subject designed for the students of that particular religion. 5. Immediate arrangements must be made for the subject of ‘Religious Education’ developed by the educationists of the respective religions and of the teachers must also be provided as in the case of Muslim students who are studying ‘Islamic Studies and being taught only by the Muslim teachers. The students of religious minorities have boycotted the textbooks in the subject of ‘Ethics’ as vulgar language, propagation and disinformation has been used against their beliefs and religious practices. The subject of Ethics only for the students of the religious minorities is discrimination and open violation of Article 22 (1) the Constitution of Pakistan because they have to study nine religions while majority students are exempted from this subject. The minority students prefer the subject of Islamic Studies to avoid religious discrimination. Appearing of minority students in the subject of Islamic Studies is violation of Article 22 (1) of the Constitution. 6. All the nationalized missionary schools and colleges must be returned to the missionaries without any further delay. Besides this there must not be interference in the administration of the missionary educational institutions. Sir, being Prime Minister as well as true follower of the Quaid-e-Azam PMTA requests your government to treat religious minorities according to the vision of the Quaid-e-Azam that he presented to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947 and Article 25 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973. PMTA expects that if curriculum and textbooks are designed according to Article 22 (1) and Article 25 of the Constitution then our beloved homeland can become a role model state in the comity of nations. With best regards. PROF.ANJUM JAMES PAUL CHAIRMAN Copy to: 1. President of Pakistan, President’s House, Islamabad 2. Federal Minister for Human Rights, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad 3. Chief Ministers of all the provinces of Pakistan