Joint Action Committee for peoples’ rights (JAC) has expressed its disappointment on the passing of National Commission for Minorities Bill, 2023 from National Assembly.
In a press release issued here, JAC termed that this bill is inconsistent with UN Paris Principles and the directives of the Supreme Court of June 19, 2014 (SMC No. 1 of 2014). JAC demanded the government to enact a permanent national commission for minorities’ rights to fulfill its promise.
JAC stated that the bill as passed, manifests gaps, which need to be addressed to make the prospective minority rights body truly functional, and effective, independent, autonomous, and resourceful minority rights institution. The Supreme Court in 2014 directed the government to establish a minority rights institution with a mandate “to monitor the practical realisation of the rights and safeguards provided to the minorities under the Constitution and law, and frame policy recommendations for safeguarding and protecting minorities’ rights”.
The JAC demanded that the National Commission for Minorities Bill, 2023 should include a word ‘rights’ in the title of the bill, and the institution must be called National Commission for Minorities Rights (NCMR) to make the perspective clear.
It demanded that the membership and composition of the commission should enable respect and realisation of human rights. JAC said the representation of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) proposed in the bill should be dropped to constitute an independent minorities commission parallel to other national human rights institutions.
