ASIA/PAKISTAN - Anti-terrorism Committee: no religious minority representatives

Monday, 29 December 2014

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - Religious minorities are targeted by terrorist groups, but there is not even a member belonging to minority religious communities (Christian or Hindu) in the Committee formed by the Prime Minister to implement the national action Plan against terrorism: is what Christian and Hindu leaders said after the Committee’s first meeting was held in Islamabad, chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Religious minority leaders recall, in a note sent to Fides, that "attacks against minorities, forced conversions and attacks against places of worship are dangerous threats to internal security". For this reason they note with regret the failure to include community representatives in the newborn Committee.
The Committee, led by the Premier and composed of several ministers and political leaders, will handle the implementation of the Action Plan, defined "a national duty". The watchword is "zero tolerance for terrorism". The Premier gave the task to the Attorney General to hold consultations with political leaders in order to make any legislative and constitutional changes necessary to implement the plan. "Pakistan will not survive if terrorism is not eradicated", said Sharif.
The country is thus responding to the massacre carried out by Pakistani Taliban in Peshawar in a military school, causing the death of 148 people, mostly children. Another measure is the reintroduction of the death penalty for terrorists in prison: there are about 500 executions announced after the massacre in Peshawar. Their execution was suspended because Islamabad, having never formally abolished the death penalty from the Penal Code, however, had adopted a moratorium since 2008. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/12/2014)


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