LAHORE
National Minority Day (August 11), is not a day of celebration, but a day of demand, agreed particpants in an event organized recently by the Urdu Church of Holland. The event brought together social activists, church leaders and primarily those from the Christian community of Pakistan. They called for equal citizenship, protection, fair representation and complete implementation of minority rights in Pakistan, gathering under the theme “Voice, Rights, Respect and Unity,” .
The conference focused on the continuing challenges faced by not just Christians but all the other religious minorities in Pakistan. Instead of holding a conventional celebration, the participants used the occasion to raise demands for equal citizenship, equal rights, equal opportunities, protection and justice for every minority community.
The event brought together prominent Pakistani Christian intellectuals, human rights advocates, pastors, educators, and community leaders, who delivered informative speeches on issues affecting minority communities and proposed practical recommendations for positive change.
Social activists Aneel Khan and Gulraiz Sandhu presided over and hosted the conference. As the gathering was held in a Christian setting, Azeem Masih led the worship, while Evangelist Sunny shared a message from the Bible. Elder Emmanuel and Elder Morris led the congregation in prayer.
The guest speakers addressed a wide range of social, political and human-rights issues affecting religious minorities in Pakistan. Shaross Saleem spoke about the importance of Minority Day and the need to use the occasion to renew the struggle for dignity and equal citizenship. Yasmeen Kennedy paid tribute to the Christian heroes who served Pakistan and sacrificed for the rights of minority communities. Aroosh Zulfiqar highlighted the responsibilities of Christian youth and encouraged young people to become educated, organised and actively involved in community development.
Pastor Imran Gill addressed the issue of Pakistan’s national census and stressed the importance of the accurate registration and representation of religious minorities, while Ijaz Zulfiqar discussed religious discrimination within the education system and the barriers faced by minority students. Moon Samuel called for the direct election of minority representatives instead of their selection through political parties, arguing that the current selection system is a major tool used to weaken the political voice and representation of minorities.
Mr. Joseph Janssen spoke about the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan citing references of incidents of the forced abduction and conversion of underage girls, as well as concerns regarding the misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. The five per cent employment quota for minorities, and its importance and the continuing shortcomings in its implementation was also discussed by Noble Tariq. He called for effective monitoring and transparent enforcement of the quota. Likewise, Shahzad Ghori raised concerns over the unfair allocation of development funds for minorities in Pakistan and called for fair, transparent and needs-based distribution of public resources.
The conference called for several solutions as a conclusion. They said that with each passing year the demands remained the same.
Screening of documentary film held
Meanwhile prominent minoirty rights activist organization Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) held a screening of its documentary film, ‘A Separation Refused’, highlighting the movement for the restoration of the joint electorate in Pakistan. The event was held in Lahore.
The 20-minute documentary film was produced by CSJ and directed by award-winning director Dawood Akhtar Murad, and traces the culmination of the separate electorate system across the history of Pakistan as well as the movement for the restoration of the joint electorate system, especially during the 1990s to 2001. The film chronicles the efforts of civil society organizations, political leaders, faith communities, and human rights advocates who campaigned for equal citizenship and inclusive democratic participation for religious minorities.
Using historical accounts and personal testimonies, the film illustrated how sustained advocacy contributed to democratic reforms and continues to inspire efforts towards equality, pluralism, social cohesion, and the protection of constitutional rights. Featuring over a dozen interviews, it brought together insights from Hina Jillani, Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Dr. Charles Amjad Ali, Dr. Yaqoob Bangash, and other prominent voices offering diverse perspectives youth, clergy and a parliamentarian.
The screening was followed by an interactive panel discussion which explored the progress made towards equal citizenship and the continuing challenges to the democratic participation of religious minorities in Pakistan. The panelists, intellectual Wajahat Masood and CSJ Executive Director Peter Jacob, answered questions.
While addressing the participants, Wajahat Masood, said that democracy is based on the principle of equal citizenship and that the categorization of citizens into majorities and minorities reflects a constitutional anomaly. “Institutionalizing such divisions weakened democratic systems and undermined the principle of equal political participation,” he said referring to the separate electorate system.
In response to a question on the rationale behind the documentary, Peter Jacob, said that the importance of the movement warranted a careful reading of the history.
“The film was developed to preserve authentic accounts of the struggle for the restoration of the joint electorate and to address competing interpretations of history and misunderstandings,” he noted. “There is a need for constitutional reforms to strengthen equal citizenship.”
He called for a review of Articles 41 and 91 of the Constitution, to remove precondition of religious affiliation for the offices of the President and Prime Minister, implementation of Article 22(1) of the constitution of Pakistan that guarantees unbiased education.
In the open discussion, participants talked about the message of documentary film highlighting constitutional rights, democratic inclusion, should be screened more widely through universities, arts councils, mainstream media, and other public platforms to encourage informed dialogue and greater public awareness. They stressed that equal citizenship is not solely the concern of religious minorities but a shared national responsibility, and called for greater participation and support from the majority community in future advocacy and dialogue.
At the end the participants reaffirmed a shared commitment to advancing constitutional rights, equal citizenship, participatory democracy, and peaceful coexistence through collective action.