MUCH is made of the fact that Pakistan`s national flag was designed to represent all the communities that were to live in this land. The green of the banner was meant to symbolise the Muslim majority and the white strip represented the non-Muslim minorities: Christian, Hindu, Parsi, Sikh and others.
"Minorities to which ever community they may belong; will be safeguarded. Their religion or faith or belief will be secure. There will be no interference of any kind with their freedom of worship. They will have their protection with regard to their religion, faith, their life, their culture. They will be, in all respects, the citizens of Pakistan without any distinction of caste or creed."
Six decades on, however, it seems that the country`s minorities have been abandoned. The focus on the fact that in Pakistan the rights of the majority of the people are routinely trampled on tends to deflect our attention — and that of our political representatives — from the plight of minorities.
People belonging to minority communities often suffer discrimination and victimisation. In part, this is because of a prejudiced societal attitude. However, it is also true that there are some glaring gaps in the country`s laws vis-Ã -vis our minority communities.
Categories: Human Rights, Law and Religion, Pakistan