Ahmadis cannot perform sacrifice: LHCBA
The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) called upon the federal government to bar the Ahmadiyya community from performing ritual sacrifices on Eid al-Azha.
In a letter to the interior minister, the LHCBA argued that per Article 260 (3) of the Constitution of Pakistan, Ahmadis are recognized as non-Muslims. And as ritual sacrifice during Eid is an Islamic rite performed only by Muslims, Ahmadis were barred by provisions contained in the Constitution and by several judgments passed by the Supreme Court to perform the rite.
In the letter, the LHCBA complained that every year during Eid, scores of FIRs are registered against “open violations” by the Ahmadiyya community, and requested the interior ministry to direct the police to restrict and restrain Ahmadis from performing ritual sacrifices.
Interior ministry delays child labour law
The PPP leader and Chair of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar lamented the Ministry of Interior’s apparent delay in notifying the ban on employment of children under the age of 14 for domestic labour. The Cabinet had approved of the Ministry of Human Rights’ amendment in the Employment of Children Act of 1991 to include domestic labour as hazardous work, however the interior minister has yet to issue a notification on the matter.
Women sans economic autonomy: report
Young Women in Pakistan: Status Report 2020, compiled by UN Women Pakistan and the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) with aid from the Norwegian Embassy, revealed that Pakistani women are unable to exercise financial autonomy due to extremely limited opportunities to develop skills and access knowledge.
48% of women aged between 15 and 24 did not have access to education, employment and training, compared to just 7% of men of the same age bracket. Further, 24% of young women have any say in their education, 80% work without contracts and 75% of paid female employees earn less than minimum wage.
Road rage: woman assaulted
Samaa reporter Sidra Ghayas, her brother and two channel crew members were assaulted by about six men reported to belong to the religious group, Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith, near Firdous Market in Lahore, Punjab. According to Ghayas, she and her brother were returning home via an under-construction section of the road in their car, where they stalled due to congested traffic.
The suspects repeatedly cut off Sidra Ghayas’ car and then signaled for her to reverse her car to make way – because of the line of cars behind her, she could not give way which incensed the driver. A group
of bearded men then exited the car and began punching and kicking Ghayas’ car’s bonnet, doors and windows. The suspects then reportedly assaulted Ghayas, her brother and two other TV crew members who had arrived to help, going as far as to slap and manhandle Ghayas.
An FIR has been lodged against the assailants.
