Pakistan's parliament approves law to establish body dedicated to protecting minority rights

A joint session of Parliament passed the National Commission for Minorities Bill 2025 with some changes on Tuesday, which aims to establish a national body dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of minority communities in Pakistan. [ . . . ] Saying that minorities were defined as “non-Muslims” in the Constitution, he said: “This is a commission for non-Muslims. Our Hindu, Christian and Parsi brothers are as good Pakistanis as we are.” The minister recalled that a 2014 Supreme Court judgement called for the constitution of a commission for minorities. The matter had landed in the joint sitting after around 10 years, he added, before the debate on the bill began. [ . . . ] According to Article 75(2) of the Constitution, the legislation will now be referred back to the president for his assent. The provision states that “the president shall give his assent within 10 days, failing which such assent shall be deemed to have been given”.
Read the full article here: Dawn