Religious minorities lose confidence on refusal to ratify forced conversion bill

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Karachi: January 7, 2017. (PCP) As Governor of Sindh Justice Rtd. Saeeduzzaman Siddique refuses to ratify the forced conversion bill passed by Sindh Assembly in November 2016 after protests by MQM, JI and other Muslim religious parties the feelings of insecurity and dark future among religious minorities reach up to such extent that they have lost confidence in so-called moderate Muslim political groups also. The Forced Conversion Bill was presented in Sindh Assembly by Hindu MPA Annand Kumar of Pakistan Muslim League Functional Group PML (F) and unanimously adopted by ruling Pakistan Peoples Party PPP, Muthidda Quomi Movement MQM, Pakistan Tehreek Insaf PTI and other in November 2016. The Forced Conversion Bill was passed and sent to Governor of Sindh to sign that it may become law but same was denied by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz Group PML (N) appointed Governor of Province. The said bill was first criticized by Jamaat Islami Pakistan Ameer Senator Siraj Ul Haq who termed it un-Islamic as it was set in bill that conversion of any one to Islam will be not legal if age of converted individual is not 18 years and conversion to Islam will be supervised for 120 days to confirm. Later forced conversion bill was criticized by all Islamic groups in Pakistan and notes were sent to Islamic Ideology of Pakistan to challenge this bill. The Christians, Hindus and other religious minorities in Pakistan view this bill as protection of minorities’ bill as it will prevent forced conversion of their women to Islam who were abducted and enforcedly converted to Islam and given as sex slaves to influential Muslims. Hundreds of Christian and Hindu women in Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan are kidnapped and converted to Islam every year. As any one converts to Islam in Pakistan then he is fully protected by Sharia Law weather it is after kidnapping or forced and cannot be prosecuted which empowered Muslims to kidnap any woman from religious minorities if she denies proving their motives and forcedly converting her to Islam. The parents and husbands of Christian and Hindu women who have been kidnapped and forcedly converted to Islam cannot file charges against kidnappers or if charges filed then Muslim judges protect Muslim kidnappers. Pakistan Peoples Party PPP rules Sindh province of Pakistan which passed this bill and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari made encouraging Tweet that “I want to see any Christian to be Prime Minister of Pakistan” in 2016, but fate of minorities protection bill is requested by PPP Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to be withdrawn. It is on record that PPP c0-Chairman and former President of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari assured JI Ameer Senator Siraj Ul Haq in a press note that PPP government will revoke this bill which is proven. The governor, in his observations, cited the letters written by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), MQM parliamentary leader Sardar Ahmed, as well as the protest by religious parties, who had called for the bill's withdrawal or proposed amendments to it. "Today, we have received the bill with the governor's message. The governor's plea for reconsideration means he has asked for the bill's withdrawal and for the introduction of a new law," said Sindh Assembly Secretary GM Umer Farooq. He said that the bill will be presented at the upcoming session of the Assembly as it has Governor's message appended to it and the house will decide to accept it or not. The religious minorities’ leaders are not elected by their voters but selected by Muslim groups of their choice who will not raise voice against their masters in parliament against such undemocratic move. Dr. Nazir S Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC have said in a statement “Religious minorities have lost their hope in moderate Islamic parties that they will protect their due equal basic democratic rights after revoking forced conversion bill" Nazir Bhatti added “Muslim political parties have ended role of minorities and failed to bring them in mainstream politics as promised”

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On demand of our readers, I have decided to release E-Book version of "Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" on website of PCP which can also be viewed on website of Pakistan Christian Congress www.pakistanchristiancongress.org . You can read chapter wise by clicking tab on left handside of PDF format of E-Book.

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