Sindh Assembly unanimously condemns India’s atrocities against Muslims

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The Sindh Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution to condemn the atrocities being committed against Muslims across India and especially in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IOK) at the hands of the government of the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The resolution was tabled in the House by the incumbent provincial chief minister probably for the first time and against parliamentary traditions. Syed Murad Ali Shah’s resolution, which he drafted himself, was supported by all the parliamentary groups in the PA on both the treasury and opposition benches.According to the resolution, the House recognised with deep dismay the continued atrocities being meted out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to Muslims across India and in IOK.The PA categorically condemned the unilateral lockdown of IOK, now for over 130 days, and the state-sanctioned brutalities against its innocent residents. The lawmakers lamented the violence by the Indian law enforcement agencies against Muslim students exercising their right to protest.The House recognised the alarming rise in incidents of fascism and violent extremism towards Muslims in India during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) government. The PA rejected India’s recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act that seeks to systemically marginalise and exclude Muslims.The legislators expressed dismay over the silence of the international community on these continuing violations of fundamental human rights. They demanded that Pakistan’s federal government approach the United Nations to censure the Indian government over its persistent and targeted persecution of Muslims.Some of the opposition lawmakers, including Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the Grand Democratic Alliance, suggested replacing the word “demand” with “request” regarding the resolution’s portion that asked the Centre to approach the UN over India’s atrocities against its Muslim population.Speaking on the resolution, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho said that the latest brutal actions against the Muslim community in India had proved that the present Indian government was a fascist one.She said that international human rights organisations had been giving feeble response to the Indian state’s atrocities being committed against the Muslim population of the country.Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal MPA Syed Abdul Rasheed said that over 10 million Muslims had been taking part in the protest campaign in India against the new citizenship law. He said that by passing this resolution, the Sindh Assembly would live up to its name to safeguard the rights of the Muslims around the world.Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan lawmaker Mangla Sharma said people of religious minorities in Pakistan had been leading their lives freely with no oppression or suppression by any quarter.She said her presence in the House proved that people belonging to minority groups did get due representation in the affairs of the state with no bar on their activities.She also said that the agenda being followed by the present Indian government of the BJP against the Muslim population of the country had nothing to do with Hindu ideologies. She added that she completely disowned the policies of the Indian government against Muslims.Anti-Gutka bill passedThe House passed the bill to take action against the preparation and consumption of Gutka and Mainpuri in the province. The bill was passed in the light of the report of the PA’s Standing Committee on Law, Parliamentary Affairs & Human Rights.The committee had considered the draft of the bill in its four meetings. The committee’s chairman, Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Pir Mujeebul Haq, presented the body’s report in the House on the Government Bill No. 21 of 2019 titled ‘Sindh Prohibition of Preparation, Manufacturing, Storage, Sale and Use of Gutka and Mainpuri Bill 2019’.Haq said the bill was important to adopt a firm law for the first time in the history of the province to take punitive action against the manufacture and sale of Gutka and Mainpuri. He said the bill had been finalised after taking into account the opinion of all the relevant stakeholders, including the police.After the bill’s passage, PA Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghari congratulated the House for passing it, saying that the issue of Gukta and Mainpuri had become a serious menace in Thatta, Sujawal and Badin.Student union bill introducedThe bill to restore student unions in the province, namely ‘Sindh Students Union Bill 2019’, was introduced in the House and referred to the Standing Committee on Law, Parliamentary Affairs & Human Rights for further consideration.‘Sindh Safe Cities Authority Bill 2019’ was also introduced in the provincial assembly and then referred to the Standing Committee on Home of the PA. Speaking earlier during the question-hour on the home department, the CM said his government had approached the federal administration to get the authority to issue licences of weapons of prohibited bore devolved to the province.He said that right now the authority is vested with the prime minister, adding that he (Sindh’s chief executive) wants a uniform policy to be adopted across the country for issuing licences of such weapons.

from The News International - Karachi https://ift.tt/2PBDIWh
The News International - Karachi