AWAM, NCHR hold seminar: Constitutional right to equality highlighted

FAISALABAD: Authorities and political decision-makers must uphold constitutional guarantees by ensuring religious freedom and equal citizenship in Pakistan. It is essential to eliminate discriminatory provisions from laws and policies and to adopt concrete measures for the social inclusion of religious minorities.

These concerns and recommendations emerged during the proceedings of a seminar titled “Implementation of Article 25: Local Context, Challenges, and Way Forward,” presided over by Qudsia Batool, Member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab and Member of the Parliamentary Minority Caucus. The event was organized by the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) in collaboration with the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR).

Distinguished keynote speakers, including Sonia Javed, Sonia Patras, Dr Rizwan Ullah Kokab, Dr Ghulam Mustafa, Dr Sadaf Mehmood, Advocate Fatima Saeed, Naeem Ahmed, and Haider Abbas, shared their valuable insights on the subject. Qudsia Batool, Member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab and Member of the Parliamentary Minority Caucus, affirmed, “the government is committed to upholding human rights values and is striving to ensure that no one is left behind.”

She pledged to raise on the floor of the House the concerns of minority communities regarding unresolved matrimonial issues, as well as the grievances of youth related to limited economic opportunities.

Executive Director of AWAM, Sonia Javed, and Deputy Director, Sonia Patras, stated, “constitutional guarantees such as Article 25 are not limited to the protection of minorities but also encompass gender equality. They highlighted that matrimonial issues within minority communities remain unresolved, with individuals facing significant challenges in registering births, marriages, divorces, and deaths.” They further emphasized, “Concerned authorities and political decision-makers must ensure inclusive governance and the provision of seamless public services for minorities.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025