Pakistan Religious Affairs Minister opposes inclusion of Ahmadis in minority commission
Islamabad: Pakistan's Religious Affairs Ministry has decided to approach the federal cabinet seeking a review of a decision that pertained to the inclusion of a member of the Ahmadiyya community in the National Commission for Minorities, media reports said.
The move of including Ahmadiyya community in the National Commission for Minorities triggered massive protests in the country.
According to sources, Religious Affairs Minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri told federal secretary Mushtaq Ahmad to approach the Cabinet Division for a review, which will be taken up in the next meeting, reported Pakistan Today.
Upon contact, Qadri said the decision was not made by the cabinet and there was only a discussion about the composition of the National Commission for Minorities, reported the newspaper.
Earlier, the federal cabinet had approved in principle the inclusion of Ahmadis in the National Commission for Minorities on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan and directed the Ministry of Religious Affairs to reconstitute the National Commission for Minorities, reported the newspaper.
While expressing his concerns over the federal government’s decision, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PMll-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain told a private news channel as quoted as saying Pakistan Today: “The opening of Ahmadis’ pandora box is beyond understanding. The Ahmadis neither accept themselves as non-Muslim minority nor do they accept the constitution of Pakistan. Under these circumstances, favouring Ahmadis is a joke with Pakistan that is unacceptable.”
In Pakistan, the community was included in the commission for the first time since 1974.
The community was then declared as non-Muslim by the then Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government.
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